WALES

Business Advisory Group

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether a per diem allowance is given to members of his Business Advisory Group.

David Jones: Members of my Business Advisory Group do not receive any form of allowance or reimbursement for their role.

The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on advertising with (a) The Guardian newspaper, (b) The Guardian website and (c) The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

Stephen Crabb: Nil.

National Assembly for Wales

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  what amount in block grant the Welsh Assembly will receive from the Government in the next five years;
	(2)  what amount in block grant the Welsh Assembly has received from the UK Government in each of the last five years.

David Jones: The following table shows the block grant for the Welsh Government since 2008-09 and plans until 2015-16. There are no spending plans beyond 2015-16.
	
		
			 Table: Total Welsh block grant 
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 out-turn 14,242 
			 2009-10 out-turn 15,226 
			 2010-11 out-turn 15,371 
			 2011-12 out-turn 14,866 
			 2012-13 estimated out-turn 14,872 
			 2013-14 planned 15,016 
			 2014-15 planned 15,126 
			 2015-16 planned 15,096

Severn Tunnel

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  what discussions he has held with Network Rail on the postponement of engineering works requiring the closure of the Severn tunnel on the weekend of 26-27 October 2013;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the economic impact of the closure of the Severn tunnel on the Rugby League World Cup opening ceremony and the World Music Expo in Cardiff during the weekend of 26 and 27 October 2013.

David Jones: My Department is in close contact with Network Rail. While it is unfortunate that the work will coincide with the Rugby League World Cup opening ceremony and the World Music Expo, I am reassured that Network Rail has worked closely with stakeholders, including train operating companies, to minimise disruption.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many responses the Government has received to its consultation on the devolution of stamp duty land tax to the National Assembly for Wales to date.

David Jones: The Government received 40 responses.

SCOTLAND

Ayrshire

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received from the Scottish Government on support for economic development in East Ayrshire.

David Mundell: Economic development is a devolved issue. While I have had a range of discussions with Scottish Government, local authorities and other interested parties to ensure that the UK Government is giving all support possible, following recent job losses in the opencast mining industry, I have so far not had any direct representation from the Scottish Government on economic development in East Ayrshire.

Public Expenditure

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what Barnett consequentials will follow in funding for Scotland following the extension of free school meals in England.

David Mundell: Funding for the extension of free school meals will be considered as part of the autumn statement. Barnett consequentials for the devolved Administrations will be determined in the usual way.

PRIME MINISTER

Collective Responsibility

Julian Lewis: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will list the current areas of policy on which the coalition Government has agreed to suspend the principle of collective responsibility;
	(2)  in what circumstances the doctrine of collective responsibility (a) applies and (b) does not apply, with particular reference to comments made on the record to the media.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 February 2013, Official Report, column 461W.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Prime Minister who will accompany him on the delegation to the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

David Cameron: I will be accompanied by ministerial colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and officials. Details of overseas travel by Ministers are published on a quarterly basis.

Jimmy Savile

Frank Dobson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will take steps to ascertain whether advice was given to Mrs Thatcher by the police or security services about the conduct of Jimmy Savile.

David Cameron: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the statement made by a Cabinet Office spokesman when papers relating to Baroness Thatcher's time in Office were recently released under the 30 year rule that:
	“There is no indication in the papers that anything was known then about the allegations that have subsequently come to light about Jimmy Savile. The honours process was followed in accordance with the system at the time.”

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Cold Weather Payments

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of people eligible for cold weather payments in each region of the UK.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The estimates for the number of people eligible for cold weather payments in each weather station area in the UK will not be available until the end of October. The estimates are produced by a scan of the systems immediately prior to the start of the cold weather payment season, commencing 1 November 2013. The scan is conducted as close as possible to the start of the cold weather season to best represent the most accurate number of eligible customers.
	As the weather station areas are based on the climate of the relevant postcodes, they do not align with any standard regional mapping. When the estimates become available, I will place a copy in the House of Commons Library, showing the regions that overlap with each weather station.

Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many smartphone apps his Department has launched.

Gregory Barker: The Department has not launched any smartphone apps.

Nuclear Power: China

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will (a) place in the Library and (b) publish on his Department's website copies of the agreements he concluded with Chinese nuclear authorities during his recent visit to China in respect of inward investment in the UK nuclear power programme; and which private sector business executives accompanied him on this visit.

Michael Fallon: During his recent visit to China, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), negotiated a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Government of China on co-operation in the field of civil nuclear energy. This MOU was signed during the visit to China of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne). It can be found on the gov.uk website at the following address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/251211/signed__MOU_EN_130924_ UKSIDE.pdf
	The Secretary of State was not leading a trade delegation. No private sector business executives accompanied the Secretary of State on his visit.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Television: Licensing

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many businesses in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency hold a television licence.

Edward Vaizey: The table sets out the number of television licences held by businesses in the UK and in Scotland as at 16 October 2013. TV Licensing does not hold a breakdown of this data by constituency so it is not possible to provide the number of licences held by businesses in Kilmarnock and Loudoun.
	
		
			 Location Number of businesses holding a television licence 
			 UK (including Scotland) 421,269 
			 Scotland (alone) 33,223

The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on advertising with (a) The Guardian newspaper, (b) The Guardian website and (c) The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

Helen Grant: As part of the drive to attract a wider spectrum of candidates to the boards of our country's institutions and encourage more diverse public appointments process we advertise appointments. In this context, a single payment of £10,698 was made to Guardian news and media in 2011-12.

TRANSPORT

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many consultation requests from local planning authorities have been received by HS2 Ltd pursuant to the Safeguarding Directions for Phase 1 since 9 July 2013; from which local planning authorities such requests have been received; how many such consultation requests are EIA development as defined in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011; how many recommendations for refusal of the grant of planning permission have been made; how many such recommendations are of (a) EIA development and (b) non-EIA development; how many recommendations have been made by HS2 Ltd that conditions be imposed on a planning permission in order to protect the High Speed 2 project; how many of those recommendations are of (i) EIA development and (ii) non-EIA development; how many referrals have been made to him where a local planning authority is minded to approve an application for planning permission against the advice of HS2 Ltd; and what the results of each such referral have been. [R]

Robert Goodwill: There have been 30 consultation requests from local planning authorities received by HS2 Ltd pursuant to the Safeguarding Directions for Phase 1 since 9 July 2013. The local planning authorities that such requests have been received from are:
	Birmingham City Council
	Hertfordshire County Council
	London Borough of Brent
	London Borough of Ealing
	London Borough of Hillingdon
	Lichfield District Council
	London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
	North Warwickshire Borough Council
	Oxfordshire County Council
	Stratford-upon-Avon District Council
	Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
	South Northamptonshire Council
	Warwickshire County Council
	Westminster City Council
	Four of these consultation requests are for EIA development as defined in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011. Of these, three recommendations for refusal to grant planning permission have been made. Two recommendations are for EIA development and one for non-EIA development.
	Two recommendations have been made by HS2 Ltd that conditions be imposed on a planning permission in order to protect the High Speed 2 project. No recommendations are of EIA development and two are non-EIA development.
	There have been no referrals where a local planning authority is minded to approve an application for planning permission against the advice of HS2 Ltd.

High Speed Two

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2013, Official Report, columns 191-92W, if he will publish (a) the shortlisted executive search consultants being considered to manage the recruitment of non executive directors to HS2 Ltd and (b) the date on which the appointment will be made.

Robert Goodwill: Tenders for this requirement were invited from all 14 executive search firms on Lot 1 of the Cabinet Office Framework for Executive Search and Selection Services (F313). The Department's requirement is the subject of a competitive tender and at this time no firms have been shortlisted.

High Speed Two

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answers of 9 October 2013, Official Report, columns 193-4W, on High Speed 2 railway line, if he will list all the key stakeholders that attended the meetings with the Board of HS2 Ltd and the names of the Board members attending the meetings hosted in Birmingham and Liverpool.

Robert Goodwill: The members who attended the HS2 Ltd Board meetings are as follows:
	Board meeting held in Birmingham on 18 July 2013:
	Douglas Oakervee;
	Alison Munro;
	Sir Brian Briscoe;
	Richard Brown;
	Duncan Sutherland;
	Mike Welton;
	Andrew McNaughton; and
	Beth West.
	Board meeting held in Liverpool on 19 September 2013:
	Douglas Oakervee;
	Alison Munro;
	Richard Brown;
	Duncan Sutherland;
	Mike Welton;
	Andrew McNaughton; and
	Beth West.
	The lists of key stakeholders attending the receptions with the board members in Birmingham and Liverpool are as follows:
	HS2 Ltd Board meeting—Birmingham Stakeholders attending reception
	Arup
	Aston University
	ATP Industries Group
	Birmingham Airport
	Birmingham Children's Hospital
	Birmingham City University
	BT
	Centra
	Councillor Sir Albert Bore, Birmingham city council
	Dains Accountants and Business Advisors
	Effigy Blinds
	Jerry Blackett, chief executive, Birmingham Chamber
	Miller Group
	Pinsent Masons
	Solihull MBC
	Southern Staffordshire Chamber
	Squires Sanders Hammonds
	The Boots Company plc
	The National Exhibition Centre
	The Skills Show.
	HS2 Ltd Board meeting—Liverpool Stakeholders attending reception
	AIMES Grid Services CIC
	Birkenhead Sixth Form College
	British Transport Police
	Chappelle Construction Solutions
	CILT
	Councillor Anthony Carr, Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority
	CPT Northwestern
	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	Digital Tachograph
	EAME
	Earth and Marine Environmental Consultants
	Emanysys
	FRSA
	George Howarth MP
	Halton council
	IBI Taylor Young Ltd
	Institute of Civil Engineers
	Invest Sefton
	Keppie Massie
	Kier Construction Ltd
	Liverpool Chamber of Commerce
	Liverpool City Council
	Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group
	Liverpool John Moores University
	Merseyrail
	Merseytravel
	Mint Transport Consultancy
	Mott MacDonald
	Neptune Developments
	Network Rail
	North West Active Travel Network
	NW Business Leader team
	Peel Ports
	Royal Haskoning
	The Aspire Trust
	The Athenaeum
	The Knowledge Group and Discover Liverpool
	The Owen Ellis Partnership
	Transport for Leigh
	TravelWatch NV
	University of Liverpool
	Weightmans LLP
	West Lancashire district council.

High Speed Two Growth Taskforce

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what criteria were used to select members of the HS2 Growth Task Force; and how many candidates were identified for interview as part of the selection process;
	(2)  whether his Department used external recruitment agencies in connection with the appointment of members to the HS2 Growth Task Force.

Robert Goodwill: Lord Deighton, as chair of the taskforce, approached the members on the basis of their experience and expertise relevant to the taskforce's terms of reference, which can be found at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policy-advisory-groups/hs2-growth-taskforce
	The members are not paid. No external recruitment agencies were used.

Large Goods Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many foreign heavy goods vehicles committed digital tachograph offences in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; and what action was taken in respect of each offence.

Robert Goodwill: Foreign vehicles offences are recorded as tachograph offences. Data for only digital tachographs are not recorded.

Large Goods Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers of foreign heavy goods vehicles were found to be breaking EC Regulations No. 1072/2009 in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; what aspects of the regulations such drivers were in breach of; and what action was taken in respect of each offence.

Robert Goodwill: EC Regulations No. 1072/2009 relates to cabotage.
	The number of foreign vehicle encounters conducted by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) with a cabotage offence recorded in the preceding calendar years were:
	
		
			 Cabotage encounters 
			  Number 
			 2010 420 
			 2011 436 
			 2012 322 
			 2013 (9 months to date) 217 
		
	
	The above offences were for either:
	(1) More than three cabotage operations carried out within seven days following the delivery of goods from the incoming international carriage;
	(2) Cabotage operations carried out after the expiry of the seven-day period following delivery of the goods from the incoming international carriage;
	(3) More than one cabotage operation carried out within three days following the entry of an unladen vehicle into the UK following the initial international journey to a member state other than the UK; and/or
	(4) Failure to provide clear evidence of the incoming international carriage and of each consecutive cabotage operation carried out.
	For the cabotage vehicle encounters shown VOSA implemented the following sanctions in the preceding calendar years:
	
		
			 Number 
			  2010 2011 2012 2013(1) 
			 Vehicle prohibitions(2) 253 414 306 208 
			 Driver fixed penalty notices 327 (3)4 0 0 
			 Operator conditional offers (3)0 302 282 221 
			 (1 )Nine months to date. (2) Vehicles may receive more than one prohibition notice per encounter relating to offences other than cabotage. (3) In 2010 VOSA ceased issuing a fixed penalty notice to the driver of foreign vehicles. In 2011 VOSA commenced issuing a Conditional offer of a fixed penalty notice to the operator of the foreign vehicle. 
		
	
	Where necessary, VOSA seeks assistance from the police who will consider court action. In cases of repeat or serial offending VOSA will impound and dispose of an operators vehicle(s). VOSA also notifies the competent authority in the defendant's home member state for consideration of administrative sanction.

Roads: Lighting

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department issues guidance to the Highways Agency on the selective switching-off of road lighting on motorways and major trunk roads at night during poor weather conditions and reduced visibility; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: The Department does not issue guidance to the Highways Agency on the switching off of lighting. It has agreed a performance specification with the agency that seeks a 22% reduction in its carbon footprint by 2015. It is for the agency to decide how to respond to this challenge.
	One mechanism the agency uses to meet this challenge is to switch some lights off on motorways for part of the night, mostly between midnight and 5am. Of the 570 miles of lit motorways, the agency operates 62 miles in this way. For these sections, control room operators can prevent the lights from switching off or switch them back on in response to information from on-road patrols, live CCTV images or weather reports. The agency does not switch off lighting on trunk roads or at junctions.

Roads: Lighting

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects on road accident rates of the provision of road lighting.

Robert Goodwill: The Highways Agency commissioned a study in 2008 on the effects of the provision of road lighting on road accidents. The agency also conducted an internal assessment into the effects of midnight switch off in June 2013 on six sites on the strategic road network. Following this, the Highways Agency are currently considering undertaking further research into the effect road lighting has on accidents based on a number of contributory factors.

Ryanair

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of UK air passengers are carried by Ryanair.

Robert Goodwill: In 2012, 12% of UK air passengers were carried by Ryanair.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Anti-Slavery Day

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what each Minister in her Department will be doing to acknowledge Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October 2013; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID takes slavery and human trafficking very seriously. On 10( )October, I spoke on effective ways of combating slavery and human trafficking in the business supply chain at the Wilton Park Conference, 'Combating Human Trafficking, Business and Human Rights'. On 17 October, I will be participating in the inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking to discuss the scale of modern day slavery and trafficking, arid the proposed Modern Day Slavery Bill.

Burma

Heather Wheeler: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what proportion of her Department's Burma budget will be allocated to (a) sexual and reproductive health and rights and (b) family planning services; [R]
	(2)  how she plans to support the Burmese Government in its future provision of (a) family planning, (b) sexual and reproductive health and rights, (c) maternal health and (d) other health services in that country. [R]

Alan Duncan: On current projections, we estimate that nearly a quarter of the bilateral allocation for DFID's work in Burma between 2011 and 2015 will support access to essential health services for maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and family planning. This is based on our work through the 3 millennium development goal (3MDG) fund, to which the UK has allocated up to £80 million. The 3MDG fund also supports the national response to TB and malaria in Burma and works to strengthen important systems for the delivery of health services. The UK also supports a regional project to help prevent maternal death from unwanted pregnancy, which is active in 14 countries, including Burma.

Burma

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the principal anticipated health implications are of the findings of Burma's new census.

Alan Duncan: Improved census data and its analysis can help support more effective financing, planning, human resourcing, and infrastructure for social sectors, such as the health sector. It will enable accurate calculation of important indicators, such as maternal mortality. This information can help more effective planning of aid programmes.

Burma

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has to make the contribution of UKAid more visible in Burma.

Alan Duncan: We ensure that all implementing partners are aware of our requirements to use the UKaid logo on programme communications, including letters, documents, websites, project signs, and at workshops. We will continue to issue press releases on high level visits and when launching major programmes, and to use the British embassy's internet communications channels to highlight our work.

International Assistance

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she plans to hold with hon. Members on the Post-2015 Development Framework following the UN's Review Summit in September 2013; and if she will meet relevant All-Party Parliamentary Group officers to discuss their role in any such discussions.

Justine Greening: The Government welcomes the interest and engagement shown by parliamentarians on the post-2015 agenda. Ministers and officials have already had significant engagement with many all-party parliamentary groups and will continue to do so.

Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many smartphone apps her Department has launched.

Alan Duncan: None.

Syria

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the UK provides to Syrian refugees.

Justine Greening: The UK has allocated or is in the final stages of allocating £165 million to support Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. This is providing food for over 130,000 people per month, 70,000 medical consultations and an improved water supply for over 27,000 people.
	The UK is very concerned about the future prospects of a generation of children affected by the conflict—over 3 million children to date, with around 80% of these children being below the age of 14. There are 1 million child refugees from Syria in neighbouring countries, which is the equivalent of more than one-fifth of all primary school children in England.
	We are therefore working with UNICEF and NGOs to provide essential humanitarian assistance to Syria and neighbouring countries. Additionally, the UK has recently launched a new £30 million Lost Generation Initiative to provide protection, trauma care, counselling and basic educational supplies for those children who need it. We will also provide child support services in refugee camps. Our help will mean that thousands of children across the region will be better supported and will be able to return to education in a more secure environment.

Syria

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of how the needs of Syrian refugees will change with colder winter.

Justine Greening: As winter approaches, needs will increase for improved shelter, heating and warm winter clothes. My officials are finalising negotiations with our key humanitarian partners to ensure rapid and timely assistance to meet these additional needs across the most vulnerable refugee populations in the region.

Syria

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make representations to the Secretary of State for the Home Department to request permission for Syrian refugees with existing connections to the UK to be assisted in entering and staying in the UK.

Justine Greening: The UK is leading international efforts to alleviate human suffering in Syria and the region. We are the second largest bilateral donor and are supporting the Regional Protection Programme, which provides help to refugees close to the country of origin. We have no plans to resettle or provide temporary protection to Syrians, and each claim for asylum is considered on its individual circumstances.

War on Want

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department has provided to the War on Want charity in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Duncan: DFID's central finance system only provides full records of payments made during the last four financial years. Information pertaining to the previous six years cannot be sourced without incurring disproportionate cost. For the periods where information is available the records have identified only one year where payments were made directly to War on Want. During the year ended 31 March 2010 direct payments were made to the charity totalling £119,883.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in promoting peace and democracy in Eastern Afghanistan following the recent murder of a provincial governor in Puli Alam.

Hugh Robertson: We condemn in the strongest terms the attack that killed Mr Arsala Jamal, the governor of Logar province, and killed and injured many other Afghans. The provision of security and protection for all Afghan people is the responsibility of the Afghan Government and local law enforcement.
	Democracy is vital to the future of Afghanistan, but the achievement of holding elections under the difficult circumstances that face Afghanistan should not be underestimated. Next year's presidential and provincial council elections will be one more step in the process of strengthening democracy in Afghanistan. They will not be perfect, but we are working hard to support the Afghan authorities to make them as credible, inclusive and transparent as possible.

Disclosure of Information

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government’s policy on publication of stolen, classified information.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The unauthorised disclosure or leak of classified UK government information, whether or not it falls under one of the categories specifically covered by criminal law, can inhibit effective government.
	Decisions about whether to investigate possible breaches of the criminal law are made by the police.

Electronic Surveillance

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Tempora and Prism programmes are conducted under statutory authority.

Hugh Robertson: It is the long standing policy of successive governments not to comment in detail on matters of intelligence. I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to the House on 10 June 2013, Official Report, columns 31-4, which emphasised that the agencies operate fully in accordance with UK law.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the annual cost of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme to UK businesses and embassies in other EU member states.

Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) has not made any such estimate of costs to business. Embassies are not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) which is targeted at industry. Emissions trading enables carbon reduction targets to be met at least cost to business by enabling those with cheap reduction opportunities to make the investment and sell surplus allowances to others facing higher costs. The EU ETS works on the basis of location of installation rather than the nationality of ownership.

Iran

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports his Department has received on capital punishment in Iran.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office receives regular reports on the human rights situation in Iran from a variety of sources. There have been over 240 officially announced executions so far in 2013—the reality is likely to be significantly higher. The UK opposes the use of the death penalty as a matter of principle.

Iran

Heather Wheeler: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports his Department has received on political prisoners in Iran.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly receives reports about the human rights situation in Iran—including information on political prisoners—from a wide-range of sources. The Foreign Secretary has welcomed recent releases of a number of political prisoners in Iran, including human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, on 19 September. We continue to call for the release of all political prisoners in Iran.

Kashmir

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 to date Ministers or senior officials in his Department have discussed the issue of Kashmir with their respective counterparts in (i) India and (ii) Pakistan.

Hugo Swire: Officials from our high commissions in both capitals regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with both governments and travel to the region, security situation permitting. The last occasion Kashmir was discussed at senior official level was in September 2013. We welcome the fact that the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India met in New York in September and the commitment they made to maintain a ceasefire on the Line of Control in Kashmir.
	The long standing position of successive British Governments on Kashmir has been that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Syria

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of reports that Iran has been covertly supplying materials and advice to President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of recent reports that Iran's Revolutionary Guards are providing military training to Shi'ite militia in Syria.

Hugh Robertson: Iran is supporting the Syrian regime and affiliated militias through weapons supplies, equipment, financial assistance, and personnel provided by its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This is in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1747, and is prolonging the conflict. We want the Iranian Government to support a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Syria, including by endorsing the 2012 Geneva Communiqué.

Syria

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of Iranian involvement in the Syria conflict.

Hugh Robertson: Iran is supporting the Syrian regime and affiliated militias through weapons supplies, equipment, financial assistance, and personnel provided by its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This is in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1747, and is prolonging the conflict. We want the Iranian Government to support a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Syria, including by endorsing the 2012 Geneva Communiqué.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide details of the numbers of criminal convictions that have resulted from rape and sexual crimes against military personnel by other military personnel in the armed forces for each year since 2010.

Anna Soubry: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley of 25 March 2013, Official Report, column 939W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, if he will take steps to find out what UK support is provided to US drone operations at RAF Croughton and RAF Molesworth; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Mark Francois: The UK does not provide Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) support to the United States Visiting Forces bases at RAF Croughton and RAF Molesworth. The US does not operate RPAS from the UK.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

HMOs

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of planning regulations applying to houses in multiple occupation.

Kris Hopkins: The planning permissions put in place for houses of multiple occupation by this Government strike the right balance. We have allowed individuals to decide how best to use their property, with appropriate safeguards to address local concerns.

Council Tax Support

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the effects on people on low incomes of council tax support schemes.

Brandon Lewis: These are local schemes, and it is for local authorities to ensure that the effect on low-income council tax payers is proportionate and fair. We made a £100 million transition grant available in 2013-14 to help councils develop well-designed schemes and maintain incentives to work.

High Streets

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to promote use of high streets.

Brandon Lewis: This Government has delivered on a series of initiatives to support town centres and local high streets, as outlined in the Government's Response to the Portas review. We are taking forward further steps, including reforms to rules on parking enforcement.

Fire Extinguishers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he last spoke to his fire advisor on the installation of fire sprinklers in domestic properties.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers have regular meetings with the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser on a range of fire safety matters.

Non-domestic Rates: Swindon

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in North Swindon constituency have taken part in the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: As at 31 December 2010, the latest date for which data are available, Swindon reported 1,143 businesses were benefiting from the small business rate relief scheme.
	Data were collected as part of the annual National Non-domestic Rates forecast return completed by all billing authorities in England and are publicly available in tables on the DCLG section of the .gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/national-non-domestic-rates-collected-by-councils
	Data are collected at billing authority level; we do not collect data at constituency level. The data are collected at a fixed point in time and represent the situation at that time. We do not collect data on the total numbers that have benefitted from the scheme over time.
	We estimate that approximately half a million business in England are benefiting from the small business rate relief scheme. As the Government has currently doubled the level of small business rate relief we estimate that approximately a third of a million ratepayers are currently paying no rates at all.

JUSTICE

Employment Tribunals Service

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance has been issued to employment judges on the award of costs in employment tribunals since 2010; whether he intends to introduce further legislative measures to facilitate the recovery of costs incurred by small businesses as a result of having to defend themselves against an unfounded claim; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Lord Justice Underhill's 2012 review of the employment tribunal rules of procedure considered the issues of costs and guidance. One of the principal recommendations of the review was that the Presidents of the Employment Tribunal would issue Presidential Guidance to give all parties a better idea of what to expect at various stages of the tribunal process. The Presidents may consider the issue of costs as part of this work, but no specific guidance on costs has been issued since 2010.
	The Underhill review also examined the costs regime in detail and concluded that there was no reason to change the substantive criteria for awarding costs or wasted costs. Government has accepted this assessment. However, from 29 July, claimants now have to pay a fee to bring an employment tribunal case. Fees will help claimants consider whether alternative forms of dispute resolution, such as the free conciliation service provided by ACAS, would be more appropriate for resolving their workplace disputes. Also, from April 2014, prospective claimants will need to contact ACAS and consider early conciliation before they are able to proceed to an employment tribunal. Both measures should help to discourage individuals from bringing unfounded claims.

Housing Benefit: Appeals

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many housing benefit appeals were made to tribunal in each quarter since January 2012;
	(2)  how many housing benefit appeals excluding local housing allowance were made to tribunal in each quarter since January 2012.

Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against local authority (LA) decisions on housing benefit.
	The following table shows how many housing benefit appeals were received by the SSCS Tribunal in each quarter from January 2012 to June 2013 (the latest period for which statistics are available).
	
		
			 Number of housing benefit appeal receipts in Great Britain(1) 
			  Number 
			 January to March 2012 1,404 
			 April to June 2012 2,514 
			 July to September 2012 2,550 
			 October to December 2012 2,407 
			 January to March 2013 2,272 
			 April to June 2013 2,423 
			 (1) Includes housing benefit and housing benefit/council tax combined appeals. 
		
	
	We do not hold record data specifically relating to appeals against local housing allowance decisions and HMCTS does not therefore hold the information requested.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice to which agencies the victims of human trafficking are referred by his Department.

Shailesh Vara: Since 1 July 2011, the Salvation Army has been contracted to the Ministry of Justice to oversee and co-ordinate the provision of support to adult victims of trafficking who have been referred through the National Referral Mechanism.
	The Salvation Army is contracted to provide tailored support to victims, taking into account their needs. They have formally contracted the services of 12 non governmental organisations who collectively provide accommodation and other support services to these victims. One of these is a Salvation Army safe house. The others are:
	Ashiana
	BAWSO
	BCHA
	City Hearts
	Hestia
	The Medaille Trust
	Midland Heart
	Migrant Helpline Ltd UK
	Sandwell Women's Aid
	Unseen UK
	Riverside
	Between July 2011 and June 2013, 928 victims received this vital support in order to help them to start to recover from the terrible ordeal at the hands of their traffickers.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he will issue the commencement order bringing into force the provisions of Section 139 Chapter 8 Part 3 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The Government is committed to implementing section 139 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, which reforms the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The essential prerequisite for the commencement of the reforms is to put in place a system for producing basic disclosure certificates, which show unspent convictions, which reflects the new rehabilitation periods for England and Wales. Until we do that there would be no way for an individual to obtain an official statement of their unspent convictions under the new rules.
	Currently, basic disclosures reflecting the existing rehabilitation periods are only available from Disclosure Scotland and this service is provided to residents of England and Wales as well as Scotland. However, the reforms to the 1974 Act only revise rehabilitation periods for England and Wales, leaving the position in Scotland unchanged under its legislation. This complicates matters and creates two different rehabilitation regimes within the UK, which means that there are significant business and technical issues to work through.
	The Government is considering the best option for implementing these important changes with Disclosure Scotland and the Disclosure and Barring Service and aim to have the reforms in place at the earliest possible point.

Probation: Females

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what provision is currently made by the Probation Service for the supervision of female offenders.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice recently completed a stock-take of provision for female offenders, focusing on the additional £3.78 million we allocated to probation trusts for this purpose in 2013-14. We will be publishing the report of the stock-take very shortly.

Redundancy

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many staff were made redundant from non-departmental public bodies accountable to his Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many redundancy payments were made in lieu of notice;
	(2)  how many staff in his Department were made redundant in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many such staff received payments in lieu of notice.

Jeremy Wright: Information on the total number of staff that left the Ministry of Justice and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies under redundancy terms, including compulsory redundancy, and received an exit package in the financial years 2010-11 to 2012-13 is on page 106 of the Ministry's Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12 (HC 67) and on page 105 of the Ministry's Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13 (HC 22). These publications can be found at the following links:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13
	Information on the number and cost of redundancy payments made in lieu of notice for the Ministry in 201 1-12 and 2012-13 can be found in the following table. There is no information recorded centrally for such payments made in 2010-11.
	
		
			 Business areas 2011-12 2012-13 
			 MOJ 76 112 
			 NOMS 2 5 
			 Overall MOJ total 78 117 
		
	
	Excluding probation trusts, redundancy and other departure costs have been made in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, a statutory scheme made under the Superannuation Act 1972. The Civil Service Compensation Scheme was reformed in 2010. Under the previous terms there could be costs extending for up to 10 years from a departure, while under the reformed scheme all of the costs fall within the year of departure.
	The reformed scheme allows for greater distinction between voluntary and compulsory exits and is designed to encourage voluntary rather than compulsory departures.
	For probation trusts, redundancy and other departure costs have been paid in accordance with the trusts' redundancy policy.

Richard III

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2013, Official Report, column 510W, on Richard III, with which organisations and individuals he has met, consulted or corresponded about the licence to dig for the human remains of King Richard III or on any other matter connected with the remains of King Richard III since they were discovered; when any such meeting was and any such correspondence received; and if he will place copies of all correspondence and an account of each such meeting in the Library.

Shailesh Vara: The Secretary of State for Justice has neither met nor consulted any organisations or individuals about the licence to exhume remains which have been confirmed as those of Richard III. His Department has received numerous items of correspondence from MPs and members of the public about the licence.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he intends to answer question number 163254 tabled on 1 July 2013 for answer on 3 July 2013.

Shailesh Vara: I understand that you received a response to your question on 10 October 2013, Official Report, column 380W, and I apologise for the delay.

EDUCATION

Academies

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department holds information on the overhead cost per pupil of each major academy chain.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold information on the amount of overhead costs per pupil of each major academy chain.

Academies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the steps that would be necessary to ensure that academies' borrowing count towards total government debt.

Edward Timpson: Any borrowing undertaken by academies is counted in measures used to calculate public sector debt. This is one reason why academies are restricted from borrowing without permission of the Secretary of State for Education. The accounts of academy trusts will be consolidated into the Department for Education group accounts for 2012-13. This will mean that, for the first time, the assets and liabilities of all academy trusts will be collated and presented together.

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department confirms that the total number of invoices paid in financial year 2012-13 was 91,777.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what models he is considering for childminder agencies and organisations; and which childcare providers he and his Ministers have visited in each of the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department believes that childminder agencies will encourage more childminders to enter the market, support the training and development of childminders, make it easier for parents to find a suitable childminder, and further improve the quality of provision. Within the regulatory arrangements we will be putting in place, it will be for organisations setting up an agency to decide on their business model.
	Trials started in summer 2013 to explore how childminder agencies might work and the models which might be established. These are due to continue into 2014. Further information about the trials can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-the-quality-and-range-of-education-and-childcare-from-birth-to-5-years/supporting-pages/childminder-agencies
	The most recent official visits to child care settings made by Ministers at the Department for Education are as follows:
	I visited the Folkestone Primary Academy (including Kindergarten) on 8 October 2013.
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), visited Churchill Gardens Children's Centre, London, on 27 August 2013.
	The Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mr Timpson), visited Stone Grove Children's Centre, Edgware on 27 November 2012.
	A comprehensive list of all visits made to child care providers by Ministers since May 2010 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Children's Centres

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of fathers who use children's centres and other services including parenting classes.

Elizabeth Truss: As part of the ‘Evaluation of Children's Centres in England’, a research project funded by the Department, a baseline survey of families using children's centres(1,2) in the most disadvantaged areas showed that mothers were far more likely (96%) to use family services than fathers.
	CANparent Trial classes are of potential benefit to all carers in helping them engage with their children and build parenting skills. So far, 8.89% of the over 1,000 participants who have taken CANparent classes have been male. Marketing efforts in the summer to increase male engagement with classes have resulted in the proportion of men attending between May and September 2013 increasing to 12.5%.
	(1) Maisey, R et al (2013) Evaluation of Children's Centres in England (ECCE) Strand 2: Baseline Survey of Families Using Children's Centres in the Most Disadvantaged Areas. DFE RR260
	(2) The sample in this baseline survey of families is made up of families with a child aged nine to 18 months registered with one of the 128 children's centres that took part in an earlier survey of children's centre managers.

Free Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of groups applying to open free schools in each year since their inception were parents or community-led.

Edward Timpson: All free schools are set up with the involvement of parents, and all successful applications must show sufficient demand from parents. Only looking at free schools proposers which have self-identified as ‘parents groups' or ‘community groups' does not, therefore, provide a full picture of parental or community involvement in the free school programme. The Department received 74 (23%) applications from groups describing themselves as parent and community-led in 2010, 64 (23%) in 2011, 89 (38%) in 2012 and 62 (20%) in 2013. Some other applications—such as those identified as from academy sponsors—may be led by or have significant representation from parent and community groups who have opted to partner with an academy sponsor to bolster their expertise and capacity.
	The 73 free schools backed by parent or community groups that have already opened or been approved to open contrast with just four schools opened by groups of parents in the period 2006-10.
	The free schools programme has made it easier than ever before for parents to set up schools, with many of those schools opening in little more than a year from the point of approval.

Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many smartphone apps his Department has launched.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has not to date developed any smartphone applications.

National College for Teaching and Leadership

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  if he will publish the minutes of all the advisory group meetings that have taken place at the National College for Teaching and Leadership;
	(2)  how many meetings of the advisory group of the National College of Teaching and Leadership have taken place since the appointment of the current Chief Executive.

David Laws: The National College for Teaching and Leadership does not have an advisory group.

National College for Teaching and Leadership

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans have been made for the 2014 annual conference of the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

David Laws: The National College for Teaching and Leadership's predecessor agencies (the Teaching Agency and National College for School Leadership) ran several conferences each year. NCTL is making plans to engage a range of stakeholders at national and regional events over the course of the year, each of which will be announced in due course.

Pre-school Education

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on participation rates of children in early years settings (a) in London and (b) outside London.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education's (DFE) annual Early Years Census and School Census collect information on the number and percentage of three- and four-year-olds benefiting from funded early education. Table 1 shows this data by region in January 2013.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Region Percentage benefiting from funded early education 
			 London 91 
			 North East 98 
			 North West 98 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 97 
			 East Midlands 98 
			 West Midlands 96 
			 East of England 97 
			 South East 96 
			 South West 98 
			 England 96 
			 Source: Table 1b, Provision for children under 5 years of age in England: January 2013(1). 
		
	
	The DFE's Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents collects information on the percentage of children aged under 15 using formal child care. Table 2 shows this data by region in 2011, the latest year for which data is available.
	Formal child care includes the following: nursery school, nursery class attached to a primary or infants' school, reception class at a primary or infants' school, special day school or nursery or unit for children with special educational needs, day nursery, playgroup or pre-school, child minder, nanny or au pair, babysitter who came to home, breakfast club, after school club and holiday club.
	
		
			 Table 2 
			 Region Percentage using formal child care 
			 London 41 
			 North East 51 
			 North West 44 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 47 
			 East Midlands 50 
			 West Midlands 49 
			 East of England 59 
			 South East 57 
			 South West 63 
			 England 51 
			 Source: Table 2.7, Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents 2011(2). 
		
	
	(1)https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209045/Local_authority_and_national_tables_SFR23-2013.xlsx
	(2)https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211820/SFR08-2013Text97-03_Updated_Jun13.pdf

Schools: Standards

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will delay changes to the way early entry GCSE results are accounted for in school leagues until a full consultation has been undertaken; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has long warned of the damaging effects of early entry. In 2011 the Department published its analysis of the impact early entry has on attainment(1). Ofsted's subsequent report, published in 2012, noted that while some schools use early entry effectively, others:
	‘are using high levels of early entry where there is no, or limited, evidence of positive impact on raising standards.'
	Data from summer 2013 GCSE examinations shows that, despite the evidence, the proportion of early entrants is increasing. 23% of maths entries (170,537 entries) and 10% of English entries (70,134) were from students who were not yet at the end of their Key Stage 4 study. Such a high degree of early entry cannot be in the best interests of students, and it is right that we take action as soon as possible.
	(1)Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/184109/DFE-RR208.pdf

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Programme

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Access to Work grants were allocated in (a) the Wirral, (b) Merseyside, (c) England and (d) the UK in each of the last three financial years.

Esther McVey: The following table indicates the numbers assisted by the programme for the areas and periods in question:
	
		
			 Area 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Wirral local authority 230 180 180 
			 Merseyside JCP district 1,290 1,030 1,020 
			 England 31,530 26,890 27,790 
			 GB 35,830 30,790 31,400

Council Housing: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the effect of rent arrears on (a) local authorities in Wales, (b) Cardiff local authority and (c) Vale of Glamorgan local authority.

Steve Webb: The information is not available.

Disposable Income

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of disposable household income of (a) pensioners and (b) families with children in (i) Denton and Reddish constituency, (ii) the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, (iii) the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside and (iv) England in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: It is not possible to provide data from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) for Denton and Reddish constituency, the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, or the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside; as the FRS only provides data for a region, country, or for the United Kingdom as a whole. This is to ensure sufficient sample size.
	Estimates of household disposable income at the parliamentary constituency and local authority level can be derived from the ONS small area income estimates. However, these estimates are only produced for the overall population of households and no estimates are available at this geographic level for pensioners or families with children.
	
		
			 Median Equivalised Income of households in England containing families with pensioners, households in England containing families with children, and all households in England, both Before Housing Costs (BHC) and After Housing Costs (AHC), 2011-12 prices, 2007-08 to 2011-12 
			 £ 
			  Households containing families with pensioners Households containing families with children Whole Population 
			  BHC AHC BHC AHC BHC AHC 
			 2007-08 374 370 418 349 454 402 
			 2008-09 386 377 423 347 454 393 
		
	
	
		
			 2009-10 404 385 422 350 457 395 
			 2010-11 391 373 413 336 444 381 
			 2011-12 382 362 402 326 430 367 
			 Notes: 1. The Figures above are from Households Below Average Income (HBAI), which is sourced from the Family Resources Survey. The latest version of HBAI can be found using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206778/full_hbai13.pdf 2. In Household Below Average Income, a household is defined as a single person or group of people living at the same address as their only or main residence, who either share one meal together or share the living accommodation. This differs from a benefit unit (family), which is defined as a single adult or a married or cohabiting couple, plus any dependent children. From January 2006 same-sex partners (civil partners and cohabitees) are also included in the same benefit unit. A household will consist of one or more benefit units. The figures above are based on households. 3. The data provided is for households containing families with pensioners and for households containing families with children; rather than for pensioners and for families with children. 4. BHC refers to income before housing costs have been deducted; while AHC refers to income after housing costs have been deducted. Housing costs include; rent (gross of housing benefit); water rates, community water charges and council water charges; mortgage interest payments; structural insurance premiums (for owner occupiers); ground rent and service charges. 5. Median household income is the income of the household in the middle of the distribution. 6. Household income figures have been equivalised; which means that household income has been adjusted for the size and composition of the household. Incomes have also been deflated; which means that incomes have been adjusted for variations in the monthly inflation rate. 7. Figures are provided in 2011-12 prices. Incomes were adjusted for inflation using the Retail Price Index, in line with the presentation of figures in published Households Below Average Income publications. 8. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £1. Estimates based on survey data are subject to uncertainty; and are subject to sampling error. 
		
	
	The above table provides the median income of households in England containing families with pensioners, households in England containing families with children, and all households in England, from 2007-08 to 2011-12.

Employment and Support Allowance

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether transition taxation rules for those in receipt of invalidity benefit prior to 13 April 1995 and continuing on incapacity benefit since then apply on conversion to the new employment and support allowance.

Esther McVey: All former invalidity benefit claimants that were entitled to invalidity benefit prior to 13 April 1995, who become entitled to contributory ESA, by virtue of the reassessment exercise, will become liable for income tax on that benefit income.
	This means they are placed in the same position as all new claimants to contributory ESA who may also become liable for income tax.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of employment and support allowance who were referred to the Work programme in the 104 weeks from June 2011 had a sight problem as their main impairment; and how many such people secured a Job Outcome in that period.

Esther McVey: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of Work programme referrals and job outcomes for claimants with a primary health condition of blindness or low vision and in the employment support allowance (ESA) payment groups: 1 June 2011-30 June 2013 
			  Total 
			 Referrals 330 
			 Job outcomes 10

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on employment and support allowance receiving a sanction on the advice of a Work programme provider were classified as belonging to an ethnic minority in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) January to September 2013.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not ready available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what data he has on the prognoses for people in receipt of employment and support allowance who were referred to the Work programme in the 104 weeks from June 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The available information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of Work programme referrals by ESA prognosis customer groups, Great Britain: 1 June 2011-30 June 2013 
			 ESA prognosis customer group Referrals 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 12Mth Mandatory 29,230 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 12Mth Voluntary 1,940 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 3/6Mth Stock 5,110 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 3/6Mth Mandatory 89,090 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 3/6Mth Voluntary 710 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 3/6Mth Mandatory Ex-IB 20,180 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 3/6Mth Voluntary Ex-IB 200 
			 ESA Mandatory (IR) WRAG 12Mth 26,180 
			 ESA (IR) WRAG 12Mth Mandatory Ex-IB 12,840 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are cumulative and are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Referrals: Referrals shown are ‘net' referrals which do not include rejections, cancellations or referrals to ESA information sessions. 3. Customer group: Customer groups are assigned by Jobcentre Plus, on the basis of a claimant's circumstances, and benefit they receive. This data refers to those with a prognosis timescale. A small number of claimants appear in an incorrect group caused by the way information is recorded on the administrative system. See here for further details: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wp-pg-chapter-2.pdf 4. Data to 30 June 2013 is the latest information available. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate (IGS)

Housing Benefit

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the entire discretionary housing payment budget has been allocated for 2013-14.

Steve Webb: The discretionary housing payment budget for 2013-14 is £180 million of which £160 million has been allocated.
	The £180 million includes the extra funding of £35 million that was announced on 30 July 2013, of which £10 million was for transitional payments, £5 million was for the 21 least densely populated areas and £20 million was set aside as a reserve fund.
	The reserve fund will be allocated to those local authorities who are able to provide a robust business case to receive extra funds.

Housing Benefit: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (a) how much and (b) what proportion of the discretionary housing payment budget has been allocated to target disabled people who live in significantly adapted properties in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14 in (A) total and (B) each of Scotland's local authority areas.

Steve Webb: The Government contribution towards discretionary housing payments for 2012-13 was £60 million. Specific amounts for disabled people living in significantly adapted properties were not included in the discretionary housing payment funding for this financial year as the removal of the spare room subsidy did not apply.
	For the financial year 2013-14, the Government contribution towards discretionary housing payments is £180 million. Of this, £25 million, about 14%, was included to help those impacted by the removal of the spare room subsidy living in significantly adapted properties.
	A breakdown of the amount and proportion of this allocation for Scottish local authorities is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Scottish local authority (LA) share of discretionary housing payments (DHP) for significantly adapted properties in 2013-14 
			  LA allocated funds for significantly adapted properties (£) Proportion of total LA DHP allocated for significantly adapted properties (%) 
			 Aberdeen 31,207 10 
			 Aberdeenshire 27,868 5 
			 Angus 23,880 6 
			 Argyll and Bute 57,296 15 
			 Clackmannanshire 17,662 10 
			 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 15,506 14 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 107,322 16 
			 Dundee 75,051 22 
			 East Ayrshire 32,768 19 
			 East Dunbartonshire 17,570 16 
			 East Lothian 19,961 15 
			 East Renfrewshire 16,763 20 
			 Edinburgh 206,975 14 
			 Falkirk 25,817 14 
			 Fife 83,030 15 
			 Glasgow 1,011,227 42 
			 Highland 52,345 5 
			 Inverclyde 97,640 64 
			 Midlothian 30,971 19 
			 Moray 18,400 7 
			 North Ayrshire 46,246 5 
		
	
	
		
			 North Lanarkshire 80,151 17 
			 Orkney 3,722 6 
			 Perth and Kinross 29,310 6 
			 Renfrewshire 77,247 29 
			 Scottish Borders 71,662 16 
			 Shetland 2,321 3 
			 South Ayrshire 22,579 9 
			 South Lanarkshire 62,023 13 
			 Stirling 17,298 4 
			 West Dunbartonshire 55,977 16 
			 West Lothian 62,206 24 
			 Scotland 2,500,000 19 
		
	
	While there is an allocation for adapted properties it remains in the domain of the local authority to determine how much of the overall fund is used in relation to significantly adapted property.

Housing Benefit: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what payments were made from the discretionary housing payment budget to each of Scotland's local authorities in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14; what proportion of the overall discretionary housing payment budget such payments represent in each local authority area; what such payments have now been allocated by each local authority; and whether an underspend of the discretionary housing payment budget is expected in any of those local authority areas.

Steve Webb: The figures for the discretionary housing payment allocation to Scottish local authorities for 2012-13 and 2013-14, and the expenditure for 2012-13 are indicated in the tables.
	We are unable to provide figures for the 2013-14 expenditure, the local authority spend to date, or ascertain whether local authorities will spend their full allocation. These figures are provided by each local authority when they submit their claims at the end of the financial year.
	
		
			 DHP Government contribution and total expenditure of Scottish local authorities 2012-13 
			 Local authority 2012-13 Government contribution(1) (£) Total Expenditure 2012-13 (£) Spent against 2012-13 Government contribution (%) 
			 Aberdeen 119,715 114,903 96 
			 Aberdeenshire 45,276 20,602 46 
			 Angus 56,313 51,703 92 
			 Argyll-Bute 58,246 49,411 85 
			 Clackmannanshire 23,661 21,043 89 
			 Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar 10,582 15,320 145 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 75,562 76,592 101 
			 Dundee 114,983 115,076 100 
			 East Ayrshire 49,849 34,526 69 
			 East Dunbartonshire 47,046 57,867 123 
			 East Lothian 53,794 72,209 134 
			 East Renfrewshire 30,342 30,342 100 
		
	
	
		
			 Edinburgh 573,486 411,223 72 
			 Falkirk 39,087 47,364 121 
			 Fife 203,361 93,282 46 
			 Glasgow 1,443,547 1,441,757 100 
			 Highland 80,994 81,778 101 
			 Inverclyde 55,072 54,762 99 
			 Midlothian 48,459 48,459 100 
			 Moray 18,543 17,518 94 
			 North Ayrshire 97,947 83,883 86 
			 North Lanarkshire 163,264 155,011 95 
			 Orkney 3,042 1,256 41 
			 Perth and Kinross 43,018 43,017 100 
			 Renfrewshire 74,462 168,159 226 
			 Scottish Borders 47,487 43,488 92 
			 Shetland 721 945 131 
			 South Ayrshire 153,344 286,197 187 
			 South Lanarkshire 246,236 245,309 100 
			 Stirling 64,208 46,398 72 
			 West Dunbartonshire 67,411 67,401 100 
			 West Lothian 79,785 81,142 102 
		
	
	
		
			 DHP Government contribution to Scottish local authorities 2013-14 
			 Local authorities 2013-14 Government contribution (£) 
			 Aberdeen 299,125 
			 Aberdeenshire 594,825 
			 Angus 413,506 
			 Argyll-Bute 370,656 
			 Clackmannanshire 178,323 
			 Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar 107,388 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 658,354 
			 Dundee 337,506 
			 East Ayrshire 171,570 
			 East Dunbartonshire 107,919 
			 East Lothian 137,196 
			 East Renfrewshire 83,222 
			 Edinburgh 1,430,709 
			 Falkirk 179,720 
			 Fife 539,010 
			 Glasgow 2,392,818 
			 Highland 987,115 
			 Inverclyde 153,174 
			 Midlothian 159,483 
			 Moray 252,230 
			 North Ayrshire 309,823 
			 North Lanarkshire 469,660 
			 Orkney 64,359 
			 Perth and Kinross 523,618 
			 Renfrewshire 267,351 
			 Scottish Borders 450,553 
			 Shetland 72,457 
			 South Ayrshire 262,150 
			 South Lanarkshire 492,570 
			 Stirling 400,324 
			 West Dunbartonshire 347,472 
			 West Lothian 254,648

Housing Benefit: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from local authorities in Wales about the effect of welfare reform on housing.

Steve Webb: The Department has received and responded to a number of representations from local authorities in Wales. Also, the Welsh Local Government Association is a member of the Local Authority Association Steering Group that regularly discusses a range of issues with the Department, including welfare reform.

Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many smartphone apps his Department has launched.

Michael Penning: The Department for Work and Pensions did have one smartphone app; however, this is no longer in operation as it was superseded by the introduction of Universal Jobmatch, which is a job search facility now available on:
	www.gov.uk

New Enterprise Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to monitor the sustainment of self-employed businesses established with support from the new enterprise allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The Department does not track the sustainment of businesses established with the support of the new enterprise allowance. However, as an indication of sustainment, the Department has produced analysis showing that 78% of people who started drawing the new enterprise allowance remained off benefit continuously for 12 months.
	Source:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225167/NEA_benefit_status_ad-hoc_v3.pdf

Personal Independence Payment

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to allocate specific weighting in the assessment for the daily living component of the personal independence payment where a person with mental health problems needs monitoring at night rather than help managing a specific activity.

Michael Penning: There is no intention to change the PIP assessment to allocate specific weighting for monitoring a person with mental health problems at night.
	Although PIP activities are not subdivided into daytime and night-time periods, relevant activities already contain descriptors relating to supervision and claimants with mental health conditions who might otherwise require night-time supervision would be considered in the relevant activity areas.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with trades unions on the transferring of benefit fraud officers from local authorities to the new Single Fraud Investigation Service.

Esther McVey: No decision has been made on the transfer of benefit fraud officers into DWP but the possibility of staff transferring has been raised with DWP's departmental trade union. We are in regular communication with the local government bodies.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of staff who will be transferred from local authorities to his Department when the Single Fraud Investigation Service is established.

Esther McVey: At the current time the establishment of a single fraud service within DWP is a recommendation and we are now working closely with HR and legal colleagues to establish the full staffing impacts. The Single Fraud Investigation Service business case includes an assumption on potential transfers if transfer of undertakings (protection of employment) regulations (TUPE) was deemed to apply. This volume was simply an assumption and should not be seen as a target or limit. If we proceed on the basis that TUPE will apply, the actual numbers in scope for transfer would become clearer when formal discussions with each individual local authority begins.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the establishment of the Single Fraud Investigation Service on the ability of local authorities to investigate benefit fraud.

Esther McVey: The establishment of a single fraud service within DWP is currently a recommendation. Throughout the piloting phase we have been working closely with local authorities and their governing bodies to understand how best this can be achieved, without impacting on the local authorities' ability to tackle fraud in their area.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evaluation he has made of the pilot programmes of the benefit of transferring staff from local authorities to the Single Fraud Investigation Service.

Esther McVey: Four Single Fraud Investigation Service pilots went live at the beginning of this year and a fifth commenced in April. These pilots have helped to inform not only the model for the proposed future organisation but also processes and procedures.

Social Security Benefits: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of people in receipt of benefits in the (a) Metropolitan Borough of Tameside and (b) Metropolitan Borough of Stockport who have been affected following the introduction of the benefit cap.

Esther McVey: Official statistics on how many households in each local authority have had their benefits reduced since the introduction of the benefit cap are not currently available.
	The release of local data will be dependent on reviewing the data quality closer to the release date but it is anticipated that regional and local authority level data will be published on 5 December.
	Estimates of the number of households that might be affected by the benefit cap, by local authority have previously been placed in the House of Commons Library. They can be found at:
	http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2013-0676/Local_Authority_breakdown_of_those_affected_by_the_ benefit_cap_final.doc

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to collect information by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area on the number of claimants who have been allocated a prognosis of being unable to work for two years or more.

Michael Penning: The Department does hold information on outcomes of initial functional assessments for ESA New Claims, broken down by prognosis and month of result date, for the work related activity group. A breakdown by local authority is possible although the numbers would be relatively small. This information is not readily available at parliamentary constituency level and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Telephone Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will carry out an equality impact assessment on the effects of the use of 0845 numbers within his Department.

Esther McVey: The Department fully considers the needs of claimants and the likely effects of its policies and processes before decisions are taken and implemented. With regards to 0845 telephone numbers, we will offer to call a customer back, if asked, or if concerns are raised over the cost of the call. The Department also provides access to telephones for customer use, on request and at the Department's expense, in a large number of Jobcentre Plus offices where customers needing assistance can progress a benefit enquiry or pursue job applications. Where appropriate, the Department also encourages its customers to use online facilities as an alternative to calling its services.

Universal Credit

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of people of pensionable age with a partner under pensionable age who will be eligible to pay the under occupancy supplement on the introduction of universal credit.

Esther McVey: Couples where one member is under the qualifying age for pension credit, and who are in receipt of pension credit prior to the transition to universal credit, will not be affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy.

Work Experience: Industrial Health and Safety

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with which individuals and bodies his Department consulted prior to the publication of the statement ‘Ministers to end work experience health and safety confusion' on the gov.uk website on 21 June 2013.

Michael Penning: The statement issued on 21 June announced the publication of revised guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on managing health and safety for young workers, including those on work experience.
	This guidance was published following consultation with a range of education sector stakeholders, including the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), the Association of Colleges (AOC), the Association of Education and Learning Providers (AELP), Ofsted, and college consortiums.
	It was also tested with a range of employer representative groups, including the CBI, the Engineering Employers Federation, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Forum for Private Business, the Institute of Directors, the British Chambers of Commerce and sectoral trade bodies. The BIS/Cabinet Office Red Tape Challenge team and HM Treasury also participated in this work.
	The statement was agreed jointly between HSE, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It supported the Government's wider commitment to ensuring more and better-quality work placements in response to the Wolf Report on vocational education reform.

TREASURY

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to consumers of establishing minimum standards for basic bank accounts.

Sajid Javid: The Government is committed to improving access to financial services for individuals.
	The Government noted the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards recommendation that the major banks should come to a voluntary agreement on minimum standards for basic bank accounts.
	The Government is taking forward discussions with the banking sector and will provide further detail in due course.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property.

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury, together with three other Government Departments, occupies 1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1, which is leased under a PFI arrangement. HM Treasury occupies a net internal area of approximately 6,690.3 square metres. The net book value can be found in Note 11 to the Resource Accounts within HM Treasury's Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11.

Nicky Morgan: Office refurbishment expenditure by the Treasury over the last three years has focused on supporting increased occupancy of 1 Horse Guards Road. There has been no refurbishment expenditure by the Department's non-departmental public body.

Buildings

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by his Department in that period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move.

Nicky Morgan: The information required is captured for the whole of 1 Horse Guards Road building, and costs are not attributed to individual Government Departments occupying the building.

Financial Services: Pay

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost to the public purse of the legal challenge brought by his Department against the proposal to limit bonuses paid to those in the financial sector; which legal firms have been engaged in respect of this case; what their daily rate is for (a) solicitors and (b) barristers; and if he will make a weekly report to Parliament on the ongoing costs of this case.

Sajid Javid: The Government launched a legal challenge to the bonus cap and related provisions in the EU capital requirements directive 4, and capital requirements regulation in September 2013. Costs are expected to be in line with the information presented in the House of Commons EU Scrutiny Committee report (HC671) “Subsidiarity—monitoring by national parliaments: challenging a measure before the EU Court of Justice”, in September 2013.

Income Tax

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislative proposals to exempt people subject to transitional arrangements between incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance from income tax due on such payments.

David Gauke: The Government currently has no plans to introduce a tax exemption for individuals on transitional arrangements between incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance.
	As with all aspects of the tax system, the Government does keep the taxation of benefits under review, and any decisions on changes will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.

Infrastructure

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the 30 public private partnership infrastructure projects have received their funding under the UK Guarantees temporary lending programme.

Danny Alexander: Following the announcement of the temporary lending programme long-term debt sources for well-structured PPP infrastructure projects have begun to re-emerge.
	The announcement by the Government signalled its willingness to see PPP projects go ahead using departmental capital budgets if necessary. This policy reassured the market that the Government was willing to act. A significant number of PPP projects reached financial close, including 12 PFI projects, without the need for Government lending.

Peel Holdings

John Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what grants and loans have been made by his Department and the bodies for which it is responsible to projects in which Peel Holdings is a significant beneficiary in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: No grants or loans have been made directly by the Treasury to projects in which Peel Holdings is a significant beneficiary.

Personal Injury: Insurance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Financial Conduct Authority has made of the (a) selling of personal accident insurance policies and (b) the charging of fees by employment agencies to temporary workers.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Conduct Authority will respond separately to the question from the hon. Member.

Premium Bonds

Damian Hinds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 7 September 2012, Official Report, column 511W, on premium bonds, what assessment he has made of premium bond purchase patterns and the extent to which they are used as a vehicle for regular savings.

Sajid Javid: In 2012-13 NS&I sold £6.6 billion worth of Premium Bonds. NS&I offer a vehicle for regular Premium Bond savings in the form of a monthly standing order facility, with a minimum purchase value of £50. There are currently around 132,000 transactions of this type a month, with an average value of £137. This accounts for around 3.3% of the value and 20.0% of the volume of monthly Premium Bond sale transactions.

Personal Injury: Insurance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs has taken against employment agencies selling personal accident insurance policies to employees paid at or near the national minimum wage since May 2010.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The selling of personal accident insurance policies is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority.
	The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 prohibit employment agencies and employment businesses from making work-finding services to temporary workers conditional upon the purchase of additional services. The Conduct Regulations also provide that temporary workers can withdraw from additional services. The Pay and Work Rights Helpline (0800 917 2368) is the first point of contact for complaints about breaches of the Conduct Regulations.
	The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) has investigated complaints relating to personal accident insurance policies being sold to temporary workers and sought remedial action as appropriate. EAS would consider prosecuting the agency or employment business if they continued to breach the regulations that apply, however no such case has arisen to date.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Bob Stewart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on the use of languages other than English on electoral registration forms.

Greg Clark: Electoral administrators in Wales are required to provide registration services in Welsh on an equal basis to English. Other than this, there is no requirement on local authorities to provide registration forms in other languages. However, electoral registration officers are required to maintain a complete register of all eligible electors, including non-English speakers, and are encouraged to assist electors to register where possible. Each local authority will use their discretion in allocating resources according to the needs of their area; the Government do not plan to change this policy.

Electoral Register

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to encourage greater electoral register enrolment.

Greg Clark: The Government will use data-matching to confirm the majority of electors on the register and ensure they are automatically enrolled during the transition to individual electoral registration. Trialling of this approach through the confirmation dry run yielded better than anticipated results, highlighting that using a combination of national and local data could lead to an overall average match rate of 85%. In addition, the Government is making registration simpler by enabling online registration, and in June we announced £4.2 million-worth of measures to maximize voter registration ahead of the transition to individual electoral registration.

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what was the median gross weekly earnings for employees in each constituency between April 2006 and the latest year for which data is available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Joe Grice, dated October 2013
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the median gross weekly earnings for employees in each constituency between April 2006 and the latest year for which data is available. (171810).
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence.
	The tables show estimates of median gross weekly earnings in each UK parliamentary constituency from 2006 to 2012, the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided separately for all employees and full-time employees. A copy of the tables has been placed in the Library of the House.

Computers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the level of computer ownership among (a) the general population and (b) the unemployed.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the level of computer ownership among (a) the general population and (b) the unemployed (171768).
	In 2011, the most recent year for which figures are available, 86 per cent of adults (aged 16 and over) in the UK lived in households which had a computer. 90 per cent of households where the oldest member was under 65 owned a computer. This equates to 93 per cent of adults in these households with a computer. By comparison, in the same year, 88 per cent of unemployed people in the UK lived in households with a computer.
	These estimates are produced from the UK's EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) data, which are based on General Lifestyle Survey, an annual survey of approximately 8,000 households.
	These estimates, as with any involving sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in part-time work who are seeking full-time employment in each parliamentary constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the number of people in part-time work who are seeking full-time employment in each parliamentary constituency. (171812)
	Employment statistics for local areas are calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Unfortunately, due to small sample sizes, the requested estimates are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
	While not available for parliamentary constituencies, information is available for the UK in Table 3 of the latest Labour Market Statistical Bulletin at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/october-2013/statistical-bulletin.html
	and for each of the regions and countries of Great Britain in Table 3 of each region's Headline Indicators reference tables in the latest Regional Labour Market Statistical Bulletin at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-labour/regional-labour-market-statistics/october-2013/stb-regional-labour-market-october2013.html
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Part-time Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many part time workers are working less than 24 hours a week in each parliamentary constituency in the UK.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many part time workers are working less than 24 hours a week in each parliamentary constituency in the UK. (171765).
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of information on hours and earnings in the United Kingdom. The ASHE is used to produce estimates in respect of employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. It is not possible to estimate the number of workers who work less than 24 hours per week, though it is possible to estimate the corresponding proportion of employee jobs.
	The table shows estimates of the proportion of employee jobs in each parliamentary constituency in which the employee worked less than 24 hours in total. These figures relate to April 2012, the latest period for which results are available. A copy of the table has been placed in the Library of the House.

Pay

William Bain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate how many (a) men and (b) women in (i) full-time employment, (ii) part-time employment and (iii) self-employment in each parliamentary constituency earned less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage in (A) 2012 and (B) 2013 to date.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate how many (a) men and (b) women in (i) full-time employment, (ii) part-time employment and (iii) self-employment in each parliamentary constituency earned less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage in (A) 2012 and (B) 2013 to date. (171543).
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. The ASHE does not collect information about self-employed workers. Hourly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. It is not possible to estimate the number of people with earnings below specified thresholds, though it is possible to estimate the corresponding proportion of employee jobs.
	In April 2012, the latest period for which results are available, the Living Wage rates suggested by the Living Wage Foundation were £8.30 for employees who worked in London and £7.20 for employees who did not work in London. The table shows estimates of the proportion of employee jobs with hourly earnings below the living wage proposed by the Living Wage foundation for each parliamentary constituency in the UK. A copy of the table will be placed in the Library of the House.

Perinatal Mortality

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish the mortality rates for (a) pre-term, (b) term and (c) infants by (i) local health authority and (ii) clinical commissioning group in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Joe Grice, dated October 2013
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking if the Secretary of State for Health will publish mortality statistics for (a) pre-term, (b) term and (c) infants by (i) local health authority and (ii) clinical commissioning group in each of the last 10 years. [171619].
	Table 1 provides the infant mortality rates for babies born pre-term and term by NHS area team and NHS regional team in England, and health boards in Wales for the years 2006 to 2011 (the only years available). Due to the small numbers and known quality issues sub-nationally figures have not been provided by clinical commissioning group. For further information see:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/child-health/quality-of-ethnicity-and-gestation-data-subnationally-for-births-and-infant-deaths-in-england-and-wales/2005-08/stb.html
	Table 2 provides figures for infant mortality by clinical commissioning group, NHS area team and NHS regional team in England, and health boards in Wales for the same period (2006 to 2011).
	These figures have been extracted from a dataset that links birth registration data to NHS birth notifications data and death registration data, which allows reporting of information about births and infant mortality by gestation. Therefore, these figures will not match other infant mortality rates published by ONS. Data are not available prior to 2006.
	A copy of the tables has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	Figures for gestation-specific infant mortality in England and Wales are published annually on the ONS website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/child-health/gestation-specific-infant-mortality-in-england-and-wales/index.html
	Figures for infant mortality in England and Wales based solely on registration data are published annually on the ONS website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/child-mortality-statistics-childhood-infant-and-perinatal/index.html

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships were started and not completed in the last 12 months by area of employment.

Matthew Hancock: For the 2012-13 academic year based on provisional data, of the 495,100 apprenticeship starts, 12,590 or 2.5% achieved within the same academic year. The vast majority of starts (482,500 or 97.5%) were not completed within 2012-13 as they are yet to complete or dropped out.
	The following table shows the provisional number of apprenticeship starts in 2012-13. It shows, of those starts, the number and percentage that achieved within the same academic year, split by sector subject area.
	
		
			 Apprenticeship starts and of those starts the number achieved, by sector subject area, 2012-13 (provisional) 
			 Sector subject area Starts Achieved Percentage achieved 
			 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 6,900 160 2.3 
			 Arts, Media and Publishing 1,070 10 0.6 
			 Business, Administration and Law 156,260 4,350 2.8 
			 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment 13,280 380 2.9 
			 Education and Training 7,510 110 1.5 
			 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies 63,520 940 1.5 
			 Health, Public Services and Care 119,540 2,120 1.8 
			 Information and Communication Technology 13,750 270 2.0 
			 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 14,040 230 1.6 
			 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 98,900 4,020 4.1 
			 Science and Mathematics 320 — 1.3 
			 Total 495,100 12,600 2.5 
			 Notes: 1. Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10 except for the grand total which is rounded to the nearest 100. 2. ‘—' indicates a base value of less than five. 3. The data source is the Individualised Learner Record.

Apprentices

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department (a) has commissioned and (b) is aware of into the financial implications for single-parent families of having children in apprenticeships rather than school or college.

Matthew Hancock: The Department has not commissioned and is not aware of any research looking into the financial implications for single-parent families having children in apprenticeships rather than school or college.

Apprentices

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of (a) the number of apprentices receiving only the national minimum wage while doing an apprenticeship and (b) the ages of those apprentices.

Matthew Hancock: On 4 October the Government published the 2012 Apprenticeship pay survey. This found that the median rate of gross hourly pay received by apprentices in England was £6.09. By age group, median gross hourly pay was £3.00 for under 19-year-olds, £5.37 for 19 to 24-year-olds, and £7.15 for those aged 25 or more.
	In terms of the proportion of people earning at or below the national minimum wage we do not have estimates for the number of apprentices earning at or below the national minimum wage.
	The survey provides an estimate of 29% of respondents in England earning below the applicable national minimum wage rates based on their hours and pay. Those underpaid were more likely to be aged 24 or under (40%), and in their second or third year of apprenticeship (42% and 39% respectively).

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year which figures are available.

Jo Swinson: Departmental finance records show that 61,951 invoices were paid during financial year 2012-13. For information, 94.8% of these invoices were paid within five working days.

Copyright: Internet

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect on illegal file-sharing of draft regulations introducing a private copying exception which includes cloud storage.

Jo Swinson: The Government's impact assessment on this exception, approved by the independent Regulatory Policy Committee, is available online:
	http://www.ipo.gov.uk/consult-ia-bis1055.pdf
	The Government's policy, as set out in Modernising Copyright in December 2012, is to allow an individual to make personal copies only from copies, such as books music and films, which they already own. For example, it will allow an individual legally to copy a CD they had already bought, in order to listen to it on their iPod. Sharing of copies will not be allowed in any form, including online file-sharing. Illegal file-sharing will remain illegal, and no increase in illegal file-sharing is expected as a result of this policy.
	By legalising private copying, which most consumers consider to be reasonable, the Government hopes to encourage respect for the copyright system, supporting broader efforts to fight copyright piracy.

Credit: Interest Rates

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to place restrictions on the advertising of payday loans.

Jo Swinson: This Government is concerned about the way in which payday lenders advertise and market their loans to consumers.
	That is why BIS commissioned Ipsos MORI to undertake research into the impact of payday advertising on consumer behaviour. The findings of this research published on 3 October 2013 showed that consumers believe adverts are targeted at the most vulnerable.
	The Government strongly welcomes the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) consultation, published on 3 October 2013, which proposes specific restrictions on the content of payday lending adverts. These new measures will apply to all electronic communication from 1 April 2014 and to all adverts from 1 July 2014.
	Under the FCA's proposals all high-cost short-term credit loan adverts will be required to carry a risk warning and to signpost to debt advice.
	From April next year, the FCA will also be able to ban features of products and this includes the power to ban misleading financial promotions.

Employment Tribunals Service

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the risk of vexatious Employment Tribunal claims on the employment intentions of small businesses.

Jo Swinson: The Department has considered the issue of vexatious employment tribunal claims as part of the Resolving Workplace Disputes consultation published in 2011. As a result of this work, we have brought forward a number of measures designed to tackle weak or vexatious claims. This includes amendments to the deposit order regime to give employment judges greater flexibility when requiring parties to pay a deposit in order to proceed with weak elements of a case.
	From 29 July this year, Government has introduced a requirement for claimants to pay a fee to bring an employment tribunal case. Fees will help claimants consider whether alternative forms of dispute resolution, such as the free conciliation service provided by ACAS, would be more appropriate for resolving their workplace disputes. Also, from April 2014, prospective claimants will need to contact ACAS and consider early conciliation before they are able to proceed to an employment tribunal. Both measures should help to discourage individuals from bringing weak or vexatious claims.

Higher Education: Admissions

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his answer of 10 July 2013, Official Report, column 335W, on higher education: admissions, if he will show those figures to one decimal place.

David Willetts: The figures given in the earlier answer are estimates from matched data. Records are matched from the Department for Education National Pupil Database, the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record and the Skills Funding Agency Individualised Learner Record. Participation rates are always rounded to the nearest integer to allow for a small margin of error that arises as a result of the matching procedure deployed. Rounding to one decimal place may not be robust and could be misleading.
	Further details of the data and matching process are available in Annex A and Annex D of the Widening Participation in Higher Education statistical release:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/widening-participation-in-higher-education-2013

Higher Education: Student Numbers

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answers of 14 October 2013, Official Report, columns 560-64W, on students, how many English-domiciled undergraduates were studying (a) full-time and (b) part-time at (i) English and (ii) UK higher education institutions in each year since 2001.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes information on students at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). Information on the number of full and part-time undergraduate enrolments is provided in the table.
	Information for the 2012/13 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2014.
	
		
			 English domiciled(1) undergraduate enrolments(2) by country of study and mode of study, Academic years 2002/03 to 2011/12 
			  Full-Time Part-Time 
			  Country of study 
			  England United Kingdom England United Kingdom 
			 2002/03 768,630 808,170 443,005 448,995 
			 2003/04 788,140 827,865 451,635 457,705 
			 2004/05 803,460 843,770 448,910 455,655 
			 2005/06 830,570 871,610 447,910 455,410 
			 2006/07 835,885 876,460 447,185 454,315 
			 2007/08 854,240 893,955 436,380 442,465 
			 2008/09 879,680 919,270 452,200 457,495 
			 2009/10 918,690 959,965 451,495 455,030 
		
	
	
		
			 2010/11 935,625 978,645 421,820 425,400 
			 2011/12 965,480 1,010,945 400,440 403,945 
			 (1) Domicile refers to a student's permanent or home address prior to entry to their course. (2) Enrolments refer to students in all years of study. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency.

Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many smartphone apps his Department has launched.

Jo Swinson: The Department has not launched any smartphone apps.

National Minimum Wage Enforcement Unit

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which (a) regulatory powers and (b) job titles have transferred from the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate to the National Minimum Wage Enforcement Unit within HM Revenue and Customs.

Jo Swinson: No regulatory powers will be transferred to HM Revenue and Customs. The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate staff who will move will be enforcing the national minimum wage regulations in the recruitment sector.
	An announcement on the future enforcement arrangements will be made when they have been finalised.

Personal Injury: Insurance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the practice of employers automatically enrolling employees in personal accident insurance policies where the fee will be deducted from the employee's pay; whether he has made any assessment of the practice of employment agencies selling personal accident insurance to temporary workers; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The practice of employers automatically enrolling employees in personal accident insurance policies is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not made an assessment of employment agencies selling such policies to temporary workers.

Personal Injury: Insurance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has investigated the selling of personal accident insurance policies by employment agencies to temporary workers, and the charging of fees to those workers, particularly where the workers are paid at or near the national minimum wage.

Jo Swinson: The selling of personal accident insurance policies is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority.
	The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 prohibit employment agencies and employment businesses from making work-finding services to temporary workers conditional upon the purchase of additional services. The Conduct Regulations also provide that temporary workers can withdraw from additional services. The Pay and Work Rights Helpline (0800 917 2368) is the first point of contact for complaints about breaches of the Conduct Regulations.
	The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) has investigated complaints relating to personal accident insurance policies being sold to temporary workers and sought remedial action as appropriate. EAS would consider prosecuting the agency or employment business if they continued to breach the regulations that apply, however no such case has arisen to date.

Post Offices

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the viability of (a) the future of the post office network and (b) the future of Post Offices as community hubs in rural areas following the privatisation of parts of the Royal Mail.

Jo Swinson: Progress with Post Office Ltd's Network and Crown Transformation Programmes is strengthening the viability and sustainability of the post office network which is at its most stable size in over 20 years.
	A long-term commercial and legally binding agreement between Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd ensures the continued supply of mails and parcels services through every branch of the post office network. This agreement is not affected by the privatisation of Royal Mail. Furthermore the Government is committed to maintaining a national network of at least 11,500 branches which is compliant with the access criteria set in 2007, which include a requirement that 95% of the rural population are within three miles of their nearest post office outlet.

Royal Mail

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from the Minister for Finance in the Northern Ireland Executive on the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Michael Fallon: I have not received any representation from the Minister of Finance in the Northern Ireland Executive regarding the sale of Royal Mail.

Royal Mail

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the Northern Ireland Executive on the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Michael Fallon: I have not received any representation from the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in the Northern Ireland Executive regarding the sale of Royal Mail.

Royal Mail

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many expressions of interest were made in the share offer for the sale of Royal Mail, by constituency.

Michael Fallon: The Government does not hold this information.

Royal Mail

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which firms were instructed to perform valuations of the Royal Mail property portfolio prior to its privatisation; and whether a competitive bidding process preceded their appointment.

Michael Fallon: BNP Paribas Real Estate carry out a valuation of a sample of the Royal Mail property estate each year in accordance with the guidelines as set out by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. BNP Paribas Real Estate won a competitive tender contract for this appointment in 2010.
	The three high value central London development sites at Mount Pleasant, Nine Elms and Paddington were separately and independently valued by Jones Lang LaSalle.

Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to refund interest lost to retail investors who applied for but did not receive Royal Mail shares.

Michael Fallon: The position on the refund of application monies was set out in the terms and conditions of the Direct Retail Offer (included in the prospectus and provided with the summary prospectus). As set out in the terms and conditions of the Direct Retail Offer, refunds will be made without interest.

Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on maintaining the privatised Royal Mail as a body subject to Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests.

Michael Fallon: Royal Mail was within the scope of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 because it fell within the definition of a publicly owned body set out in section 6 of that Act. Royal Mail no longer falls within this definition as it is not “wholly owned by the Crown”. The company is, therefore, now outside the scope of the FOI Act.
	Royal Mail has the same status as other bodies providing services to the public that were privatised in the past, e.g. BT and the water/energy companies.

Royal Mail

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what advice his Department has received on the value of Royal Mail's surplus property holdings from banks or financial institutions involved in the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Michael Fallon: Royal Mail regularly conducts independent valuations of its property portfolio and the overall property portfolio value is disclosed in Royal Mail's audited annual report and accounts. The details of the surplus property were highlighted in the prospectus and equity research analysts will have taken account of Royal Mail's surplus property holdings in their research reports. In light of this, the Department did not commission additional specific advice on the value of Royal Mail's surplus property holdings from banks or financial institutions.

Royal Mail

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information has been supplied by the Government following the allocation of shares to those who applied for shares in Royal Mail (a) online and (b) by post.

Michael Fallon: The expected timetable for providing information to applicants in the direct retail offer was set out in the Prospectus. Share Account Statements in respect of ordinary shares were emailed by the Government's Receiving Agent on 15 October to those who submitted an online application and elected to receive their statement this way. Share Account Statements and Share Certificates were posted by the Government's Receiving Agent on 17 October to those who applied by post, or applied online and requested a share certificate. The share allocation policy is also available on the dedicated share offer website:
	www.gov.uk/royalmailshares

Royal Mail

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what date he expects funds to be returned to those who applied for Royal Mail shares but were unsuccessful or did not receive their full allocation; and what process he has established for this process.

Michael Fallon: The position on the refund of application monies was set out in the terms and conditions of the direct retail offer (included in the Prospectus and provided with the Summary Prospectus) which stated that any such cheques will be posted or bank refund instructions will be made by no later than 21 October 2013.

Royal Mail

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what has been the total value of interest accrued to date by the Government from funds deposited from shares in Royal Mail by investors which was not used for the purchase of shares; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The interest accrued by 17 October was approximately £77,000.

Royal Mail

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date those applying for shares in Royal Mail (a) by post and (b) online were informed whether their application was successful.

Michael Fallon: The timetable for informing applicants in the direct retail offer of the outcome of their application was set out in the Prospectus. Share Account Statements, Share Certificates and refund cheques were posted on 17 October for those who applied by post or applied online and requested a share certificate. Share Account Statements were emailed and bank instructions for refunds to debit cards were issued on 15 October to those who submitted online applications and elected to receive their statement this way.

Royal Mail

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total amount of funds received by the Government on applications for Royal Mail shares option applications had closed and before shares were allocated was; and in what account these funds were held.

Michael Fallon: The retail offer was approximately seven times oversubscribed with demand for shares worth approximately £3.9 billion:
	Approximately 65% of that demand came through the intermediaries offer, i.e. these funds were not held by Government but by the intermediaries participating in the offer.
	Application funds received from applicants in the direct retail offer were held on Government's behalf in a low interest bank account. As a number of applicants applied by cheque not all cheques had cleared and funds received by the time the offer closed.

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what UK Trade and Investment's annual budget to support its offices and programmes abroad is; and if he will publish details of which programmes and markets such funds are spent on.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is a joint Government Department of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO). UKTI draws upon the FCO in order to operate abroad. The total expenditure attributed to UKTI for its overseas operations was £173 million in 2012-13 and £190 million in 2011-12. This figure is available in UKTI's annual report and accounts.
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1314/hc00/0024/0024.pdf
	The UKTI operational elements of overseas programme spend is incorporated within the FCO Mission's local budgets. This data is reported on a Programme and Objective basis as per HM Treasury reporting requirements.
	These figures represent UK and overseas spending and are not easily disaggregated.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210136/HC_32_v0_2.pdf

Understanding Animal Research

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department has provided to the organisation Understanding Animal Research in each year between 2009 and 2013; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Understanding Animal Research (UAR) was established in January 2009 and is a not-for-profit organisation funded by its members including medical research charities, university departments, learned societies, research councils, pharmaceutical companies and other organisations in the UK that carry out or fund animal research.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) provided the following funding to UAR between 2009 and 2013:
	2009: £38,124.80
	2010: £1,292.
	BIS funds the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), both of which are members of UAR and pay an annual subscription, as shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ including VAT 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 MRC 57,828 59,086 60,600 61,200 60,900 
			 BBSRC 23,000 17,625 15,600 12,624 15,600 
		
	
	Additionally, in 2013 MRC contributed £63,000, and BBSRC £850, towards a public dialogue on transparency and openness in animal research commissioned by UAR.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Badgers

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of changes in the UK badger population in the last 12 months.

George Eustice: We have an ongoing project to estimate the size of badger social groups in different regions of England and Wales. This will report in summer 2014.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the evidence base on which badger population estimates have been made in (a) the two pilot cull sites and (b) other sites where his Department is monitoring badger numbers.

George Eustice: The hair trapping element of the methodology to obtain badger population estimates in the two pilot areas was repeated in August 2013 with some improvements, prior to the culls commencing. This methodology is available at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/files/population-badger-pilot-areas.pdf
	and I have placed a copy in the Library of the House.
	Population estimates derived from the 2013 hair trapping will be included in a report which will published after the end of the pilot culls.
	The national badger sett survey results are being peer reviewed and prepared for publication. The national badger population estimate is still in progress and will be published later in 2014.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the basis on which his Department or its agencies have estimated the population of badgers in (a) the two pilot cull sites and (b) other sites where badger numbers are monitored by his Department.

George Eustice: The methodology used for setting the original minimum and maximum numbers in February 2013 consisted of two elements, sett survey and hair trapping fieldwork, both carried out in autumn 2012. The methodology is published on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/files/population-badger-pilot-areas.pdf
	The current population estimates are based on additional hair trapping fieldwork carried collected from the pilot areas immediately before the cull began. This was conducted using the same methodology as in 2013 but with some small improvements based on lessons learnt in 2012 and approved by the Independent Expert Panel.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the recorded badger population was in his Department's Woodchester Park project in (a) October 2012, (b) April 2013 and (c) October 2013.

George Eustice: holding answer 17 October 2013
	Population estimates for Woodchester are not available for the time periods requested. Population estimates are calculated by catching the animals, marking them and then subsequently recapturing them, in order to calculate probability of capture for a given time period. Robust population estimates for the current year, 2013, can only be made once trapping in 2014 is complete.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has sought the advice of the Chief Scientist on the scientific basis of extending the length of the badger cull.

George Eustice: DEFRA's chief scientific adviser has been consulted on this matter.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of data collection and analysis of badger numbers in the cull areas to date.

George Eustice: The updated estimates of the badger population in the two pilot areas are based on the best available information and have been independently reviewed and audited.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to amend the monitoring protocols of the Independent Expert Panel on the badger culling pilots.

George Eustice: There are no plans to amend the monitoring protocols for controlled shooting agreed with the Independent Expert Panel.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his contribution of 10 October 2013, Official Report, column 282, on Bovine Tuberculosis, if he will publish the evidence which shows a significant reduction in badger numbers compared to this time last year.

George Eustice: The methodology used for setting the original minimum and maximum numbers in February 2013 consisted of two elements, sett survey and hair trapping fieldwork, both carried out in autumn 2012. The methodology is published on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/files/population-badger-pilot-areas.pdf
	The current population estimates are based on additional hair trapping fieldwork collected from the pilot areas immediately before the cull began. This was conducted using the same methodology as in 2013 but with some small improvements based on lessons learnt in 2012 and approved by the Independent Expert Panel.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the costs relating to the independent panel to monitor the badger cull; and how such costs will be funded following the recent extension granted in Somerset.

George Eustice: The roles of the independent panel of experts include the oversight of the development of robust monitoring protocols.
	On completion of the pilot culls, these will extend to advising Ministers about the robustness of the data collection and analysis conducted by the research teams, as well as identifying the factors that may have influenced the results obtained.
	The budget for the panel covers their time and expenses for undertaking this role. These costs will be finalised after the conclusion of the pilots when the panel has completed its work.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason the number of badgers in the Somerset cull area was (a) underestimated in 2012 and (b) overestimated in 2013.

George Eustice: All wildlife population estimates have some degree of uncertainty around them. The estimates made in February 2013 were based on fieldwork carried out in autumn 2012 and were the best estimates available at that time for the badger population in 2012. Further hair trapping fieldwork was carried out immediately prior to the commencement of the culls earlier this year which allowed more up to date estimates to be made, based on the best available information, of the badger population in 2013.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will postpone the decision to adjust the target badger cull numbers and extend the length of the Somerset cull until after he has received the report of the Independent Expert Panel.

George Eustice: On 11 October Natural England confirmed that a three week extension to culling operations had been granted in Somerset to maximise the disease control benefits already achieved. Culling recommenced in the pilot area that same evening.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to adjust the criteria on which the Independent Expert Panel will assess the success of the Somerset cull.

George Eustice: There are no plans to amend the monitoring protocols for controlled shooting agreed with the Independent Expert Panel.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what account he took of the conclusions drawn from the Randomised Badger Culling Trial and the Report of the Independent Scientific Group on Bovine TB in his decision to extend the length of the Somerset cull;
	(2)  if he will list in full the scientists, scientific bodies and other organisations he consulted before making changes to the length of the Somerset badger cull and the number of badgers to be culled.

George Eustice: As the designated licensing authority, it is for Natural England to consider and grant applications for badger control licences, having regard to the relevant guidance given by the Secretary of State. In reaching this decision, Natural England considered advice to the Secretary of State given by DEFRA's chief veterinary officer and chief scientific adviser. A copy of this advice has been placed in the Library of the House with parliamentary question UIN 171355, also from the Member for Ogmore.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has consulted the Independent Expert Panel on the effect of extending the length of the Somerset badger cull and changes to estimates of badger numbers on their ability to determine the safety, humaneness and effectiveness of the badger cull.

George Eustice: No. Neither the extension nor the revised estimate of badger populations affect the panel's ability to determine the safety, humaneness and effectiveness of the pilot culls.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason his Department's estimate of the badger population in the Somerset cull area was incorrect; and if he will publish a revised estimate and the evidence on which it is based.

George Eustice: All wildlife population estimates have some degree of uncertainty around them. The estimates made in February 2013 were based on fieldwork carried out in autumn 2012 and were the best estimates available at that time of the badger population in 2012. Further hair trapping fieldwork was carried out immediately prior to the commencement of the culls earlier this year which allowed more up to date estimates to be made, based on the best available information, of the badger population in 2013.
	Based on the most up to date information available, our best estimate of the badger population in Somerset is 1,450 badgers.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he had with the chair or any members of the Independent Expert Panel to discuss the extension of the Somerset badger cull in advance of taking the decision to extend it.

George Eustice: The Independent Expert Panel was consulted on matters within its remit, which is to oversee the design and analysis of the data collection on the humaneness, effectiveness and safety of the badger control pilots.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department intends to compare the effectiveness of the free-shooting and cage-and-shoot methods in the Somerset badger cull following the decision to adopt the cage-and-shoot method in the Somerset cull.

George Eustice: Both controlled shooting and cage trapping and shooting remain available methods in the three week extension authorised in West Somerset. The Independent Expert Panel will evaluate the data collected as part of the monitoring of the effectiveness of controlled shooting during the pilots.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the (a) estimates of badger numbers used for planning purposes and (b) latest estimates of badger numbers in the (i) Somerset and (ii) Gloucester cull areas.

George Eustice: Prior to the culls commencing, the best available information on the badger population of the pilot areas were the estimates published in February 2013.
	Based on the most up to date information available, our best estimate of the badger population is 1,450 badgers in Somerset and 2,350 badgers in Gloucestershire.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of changes to the perturbation effect of the Somerset and Gloucester badger culls as a result of extending them in length; and if his Department will carry out additional monitoring to assess such changes.

George Eustice: As set out in ‘The Government's policy on Bovine TB and badger control in England’, the incidence of TB in cattle will be monitored in the pilot areas over the course of the four-year culling period. This monitoring will continue following the completion of culling. It is too early to make an assessment of the extent of the perturbation effect.

Common Agricultural Policy

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department holds on the transitional arrangements to implement the reformed Common Agricultural Policy on agri-environmental payments in each other EU member state; and for each such member state how payments to farmers whose agri-environment agreements end between now and the date the new policies are due to be implemented will be affected.

George Eustice: DEFRA does not hold information on the implementation of agri-environmental payments in other EU member states.

Farms

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many regulations his Department has abolished since the setting up of the Macdonald review of farm regulation.

George Eustice: The Farming Regulation Task Force, set up in July 2010, focused on reforming the delivery of agricultural regulations rather than reviewing and, where possible, abolishing them.
	However, as a result of initiatives such as the Red Tape Challenge my Department has abolished 195 regulations since July 2010, of which around 7% are connected with farming activities.

Food: Low Incomes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  by what date he expects his Department's investigation of food poverty and food banks to conclude; and if he will publish any subsequent report;
	(2)  how many officials in his Department are currently working on its investigation into food poverty and food banks.

George Eustice: The Department is not conducting an investigation into food poverty and food banks. DEFRA has commissioned research to review existing evidence on the landscape of food aid provision and access in the UK.
	The work comprises a short research project assessing evidence already publicly available on the provision of food aid in the UK, and is being carried out by a team of research contractors led by the university of Warwick. A number of departmental officials have been involved in managing the research project since it was commissioned.
	This work will be made available in due course.

Greyhound Board of Great Britain

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the role of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain in monitoring and recording (a) welfare standards within greyhound racing and (b) the number of greyhounds put to sleep for economic reasons.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr Heath) gave to the hon. Member for Poplar and Limehouse (Jim Fitzpatrick) on 3 September 2013, Official Report, column 333W.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the findings of the recent report by a group of animal welfare charities entitled Left on the Verge: The approaching equine crisis in England and Wales; and what steps he plans to take further to safeguard horse welfare.

George Eustice: DEFRA Ministers and officials have met a number of stakeholders to discuss issues raised by the report, including local authorities and the NFU. We have explained the relevant law in this area, including the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the Animals Act 1971 and the Horse Passports Regulation 2009 and advised that the issue is best resolved at a local level through partnership working. We understand that some local authorities (eg Hampshire and Wakefield) have adopted a partnership approach with police, landowners and animal welfare organisations to try and tackle problems in their own areas. The new antisocial behaviour measures in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill 2013 will also assist the authorities to take action against irresponsible horse owners.

Livestock: Transport

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to ascertain whether live calves exported to other EU member states are unloaded after 18 hours of travel and given at least 24 hours rest, food and liquid as required by Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: Under this legislation, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) is required to validate applications for journey logs made by transporters wishing to export livestock (including calves) from Great Britain. These set out the estimated journey times and rest periods anticipated by the transporter. The AHVLA will not validate a journey log unless the expected journey complies with the terms of this EU legislation. Once the journey is complete, the transporter is required to return the completed journey log to the AHVLA. If after their return, the AHVLA determines that a non-compliance has occurred, it will take the appropriate regulatory action against the transporter involved. Further details on the AHVLA's regulatory policy in relation to the welfare during transport legislation can be found here:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/publication/advice-wato-enforcement/

Personal Injury: Insurance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Gangmasters' Licensing Authority has investigated or taken enforcement action against employment agencies selling personal accident insurance policies and charging of fees particularly to those paid at or near the national minimum wage.

George Eustice: The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) has found several employment agencies in the regulated sector which charge workers for personal accident insurance cover. Where payment of fees for this cover would take a worker's pay below the level of the National Minimum Wage the GLA will take the necessary compliance action, including where appropriate, revoking a gangmaster licence.

Slaughterhouses: EU Action

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will discuss with his counterparts in other EU member states possible amendments of EU legislation to require farm animals to be slaughtered near to the farm of rearing; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr Heath) gave to the hon. Member for Belfast East (Naomi Long) on 1 July 2013, Official Report, column 452W.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Credit Unions

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent steps the Church of England has taken to promote credit unions.

Tony Baldry: International Credit Union day was on 17 October. The Church of England supported this with a number of initiatives, a total of 41 bishops from 30 dioceses were actively involved, and over 50 credit unions across the country were involved.
	The Church is also exploring a number of other plans to offer support, including:
	offering space within churches for credit unions to operate;
	dioceses and churches opening corporate accounts; and
	clergy information days and sign-up events to raise awareness about credit unions among church leaders and parishioners.
	The Church has developed a long-term plan to support the credit union movement; the first task is to link parish churches to local credit unions to offer support where any is available. The second is to set up an Archbishop’s task force to work with the credit union movement and local banking sector to produce credible alternatives which offer financially responsible products and services. The third is the plan to found the Churches Credit Union. The intention is to offer the benefits of credit union membership to clergy, ministers, trustees and those employed by the Church.

Food Banks

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many food banks are currently supported by the Church of England.

Tony Baldry: The Trussell Trust is the largest provider of food banks across the country with over 400 operational food banks. Of these the Church of England’s parishes are closely involved in running and supporting 100 food banks across the country. In addition many churches operate their own food banks which operate at a local level providing support for people within the local community.
	The Church Urban Fund ‘Hungry No More’ surveyed 466 Church of England clergy and found that four in five of their churches were supporting a food bank in one or more ways:
	75% of churches surveyed collect food for food banks;
	38% of churches surveyed provide volunteers;
	21% of churches surveyed help to manage a food bank; and
	21% of churches surveyed distribute food vouchers.
	The majority of these activities have been running for less than two years, indicating the rapid growth of the food bank network. The Church of England is considering how it can rebalance church-based activity away from emergency crisis support and towards long-term work that tackles the underlying problems. The Church in partnership with Oxfam and the Child Poverty Action Group are conducting joint research to examine the underlying reasons for the rapid growth in the use of food banks and recommend changes in policy and practice that would help to reduce the use of food banks in the longer term.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the increase in the number of Old World monkeys used in animal experimentation during 2012; what steps she is taking to reduce the number of Old World primates used in animal experimentation in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Cats, dogs, non-human primates and horses are given special protection under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and may be used only if no other species is suitable or it is not practicable to obtain animals of any other species that are suitable for the purposes of the relevant programme of work.
	Research using non-human primates is a small, but currently vital, part of work to protect and improve human lives. A great number of non-human primates are used for the safety assessment of novel pharmaceuticals in cases where they are the most appropriate and scientifically justified species. They are also used in basic research to better understand how the brain works. In fact, 2011 figures were unusually low, so the apparent increase in 2012 is largely a reflection of that.
	The number of animals likely to be used in any given year is dependent on many factors, including investment in research and development, strategic decisions by funding bodies, global economic trends and scientific innovation. Although progress is being made with alternative methods, increased funding of scientific research has the potential to increase both animal and non-animal work. The increased animal use in recent years reflects new research trends, increased investment, and changes in regulatory requirements and does not mean that efforts to advance the replacement, refinement and reduction (3Rs) are failing.
	In 2010, the Government made a commitment to work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research in “Coalition: our programme for Government”. The coalition commitment is not concerned with just baseline numbers, but encompasses the 3Rs more broadly, putting them at the heart of a science led approach. We will publish a delivery plan this autumn that will set out how the Government is supporting and encouraging these advances and the programmes and policies through which Government will continue to deliver its commitment. The consequence will be accelerated take-up of the 3Rs—both domestically and internationally—set on the tenets of good science, good animal welfare and good for the UK and economic growth.

Anti-Slavery Day

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what each Minister in her Department will be doing to acknowledge Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October 2013; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Government is committed to tackling human trafficking and recognises the significance of Anti-Slavery Day.
	Home Office Ministers are involved in a number of events and activities to raise awareness on or around Anti-Slavery Day, including:
	a speech by the Secretary of State at the Anti-Trafficking Media Awards ceremony;
	the launch of a new business protocol designed to tackle trafficking across employment and labour supply chains, with the Gangmasters Licensing Authority;
	attendance at the PM-chaired Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking; and
	publication on 18 October of the second report of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on human trafficking.

Edward Snowden

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she was consulted by the Director General of the Security Services before his recent statement on the publication of stolen classified material; and if she will make a statement on her assessment of the impact of the actions of Mr E Snowden.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department and the Director General of the Security Service meet regularly to discuss a range of security matters.
	The theft of this material is causing real and serious damage to national security. Like the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for the Home Department agrees with the Director General of the Security Service's recent comment that it:
	“causes enormous damage to make public the reach and limit of GCHQ's capabilities. Such information hands the advantage to the terrorists.”

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  with reference to Joint Action 96/698/JHA, with which business organisations the Government and its agencies have memoranda of understanding;
	(2)  whether the Government intends to maintain and periodically review the memoranda of understanding required by Joint Action 96/698/JHA irrespective of the UK's participation in the Joint Action;
	(3)  when the Government last reviewed the effectiveness of the memoranda of understanding required by Joint Action 96/698/JHA; and what manpower this took.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 14 October 2013
	The Government has 12 memoranda of understanding that fall within the programme envisaged by Article 1 of Joint Action 96/698/JHA.
	Five of these memoranda of understanding were concluded after the adoption of this Joint Action. For reasons of commercial confidentiality the Government cannot disclose the names of the individual business organisations with which these agreements have been concluded.
	The Government intend to maintain and periodically review these memoranda of understanding irrespective of the UK's participation in Joint Action 96/698/JHA within existing manpower limits.

Firearms: Licensing

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost to a police force for the licensing of a firearm will be when the new e-commerce fees system is operational.

Damian Green: holding answer 18 October 2013
	The e-commerce system will improve the efficiency of the licensing process by reducing the processing time for police. The exact costs to police forces will depend on the number of people who use the e-commerce system. There is work ongoing to identify what the costs will be.

Hillsborough Independent Panel

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that retired police officers comply with interview requests from the Independent Police Complaints Commission in relation to the ongoing Hillsborough investigation.

Theresa May: holding answer 14 October 2013
	Emergency legislation last year introduced a power for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to compel those serving with the police to attend interviews as witnesses. This power did not extend to members of the public (including retired officers) although the Government committed to keeping that issue under review. Given the nature and seriousness of the IPCC's investigations into Hillsborough, and following my announcement on police integrity in February 2013, we would expect all retired police officers to assist the IPCC's investigations willingly.

Hillsborough Independent Panel

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which individuals and companies have not yet complied with information requests from the Hillsborough Independent Panel; and how many individuals and organisations have submitted evidence to the Independent Police Complaints Commission Hillsborough investigation but have not yet supplied information to the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

Theresa May: holding answer 14 October 2013
	The Hillsborough Independent Panel was independent of Government. Its report published on 12 September 2012, made clear that two organisations failed to comply with requests for information by the Hillsborough Independent Panel and the details of these organisations are set out in Appendix 2 of the Panel's report. All Government material was made available to the Panel in full and unredacted form. I know that Bishop James Jones would be happy to meet the hon. Member to discuss this issue in more detail and I would hope that the hon. Member will take up that invitation.
	I am satisfied that the Independent Police Complaints Commission and Operation Resolve (Jon Stoddart’s investigation) have sufficient powers at their disposal to access any relevant information which is related to the Hillsborough disaster.

Hillsborough Independent Panel

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with Bishop James Jones over the failure of the former Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police Mervyn Jones to comply with an information request from the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

Theresa May: holding answer 14 October 2013
	The Hillsborough Independent Panel ceased to exist on 30 September 2012. Since then the Home Office has provided whatever assistance it can to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation; issues from this point onward are a matter for the investigation team. The IPCC is in the process of gathering all relevant information over and above that provided to the panel and passed to the IPCC.

Hillsborough Independent Panel

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support her Department is offering the IPCC Hillsborough investigation team who discover that evidence submitted to them has been (a) altered, (b) deleted and (c) edited.

Theresa May: holding answer 14 October 2013
	I have committed to ensuring that the Independent Police Complaints Commission has the powers and resources necessary to ensure that it can carry out its important work in relation to the Hillsborough investigation; new powers and additional resources have already been made available.

Hillsborough Independent Panel

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the investigations led by (a) the Independent Police Complaints Commission and (b) Jon Stoddart into the Hillsborough disaster have cost since they were established.

Theresa May: holding answer 14 October 2013
	Up until the end of September 2013, the costs of Hillsborough disaster investigations are:
	(a) Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation:
	Total resource: £3.33 million. This includes £581,000 from 2012-13.
	Total capital: £3.02 million. This includes £309,000 from 2012-13.
	(b) Police-led investigation:
	Total resource: £1.8 million. This includes £195,000 from 2012-13.
	Total capital: £162,000. This cost was incurred during 2012-13.

Human Trafficking: Scotland

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the First Minister of Scotland on human trafficking in that country.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 18 October 2013
	The UK Government works closely with the Scottish Government to tackle human trafficking. The Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice sits on the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group (IDMG) on human trafficking which provides direction and oversight on the UK’s efforts to tackle human trafficking.
	UK and Scottish officials work closely to ensure there is a shared understanding of the scale of the problem and the nature of the threat to shape the UK response accordingly.

Knives: Crime

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of police stop and search powers in tackling knife crime.

Norman Baker: There has been no formal Home Office assessment made of the effectiveness or otherwise of police stop and search powers in tackling knife crime. Stop and search can be an important tool in the fight against crime, particularly knife crime. It is of course essential that stop and search powers are used effectively, fairly and with support from local communities. The Government is currently analysing responses to the consultation on stop and search powers and intends to issue a full response before the end of the year.

Legal Professional Privilege

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that legal professional privilege is always respected by the (a) Security Service, (b) Secret Intelligence Service, (c) Government Communications Headquarters and (d) other Government Departments and agencies.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 18 October 2013
	Law enforcement and security and intelligence agencies employ intrusive powers with due regard to the rights of the individuals affected.
	The agencies operate a number of enhanced safeguards to protect legal privilege. Details of safeguards are set out in the relevant Codes of Practice, issued under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and ratified by Parliament.
	The operation of these safeguards is subject to robust oversight by the Interception Commissioner, the Surveillance Commissioners and the Intelligence Services Commissioner. Where a person believes his or her rights have been breached by the agencies, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal offers an independent route of redress.

Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many smartphone apps her Department has launched.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has released one smartphone app called ‘UK Passport Reader’. This app is available for download on Android phones and uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, available on more recent models, to read and display non-sensitive data held on the passport.

Offenders: Criminal Records

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who has access to the criminal records of those people given a new identity for their own protection on their release from prison; and whether police forces have access to (a) DNA, (b) fingerprint and (c) other relevant records from their previous identity.

James Brokenshire: In those rare cases where a person with a criminal record is provided with a new identity, special arrangements are made on the Police National Computer (PNC) to ensure that those within the criminal justice system are provided with appropriate information and that the public and the individual are protected. All relevant records biometric or otherwise are included.

Suspicious Activity Reports

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suspicious activity reports were (a) filed by each of the different obligated entities and (b) submitted to law enforcement authorities in each year from 2008 to 2012.

James Brokenshire: The UK Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU) publishes an annual report on the Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) regime. The most recent report is available on the National Crime Agency website at:
	http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk
	All SARs are made available to law enforcement authorities via the money web system.
	The following table details the number of SARs made from each sector. Any further breakdown would be a breach of the confidentiality of the reporters.
	The year runs from October to September.
	
		
			 Number 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Accountant 6,390 6,411 6,053 5,749 
			 Asset Management 258 310 270 367 
			 Auction House 11 16 4 19 
			 Banking 172,030 186,897 192,392 218,021 
			 Barrister 6 11 4 2 
			 Bookmaker 3,265 1,328 86 89 
			 Building Society 9,284 6,986 7,627 9,361 
			 Bureau De Change 3,983 4,346 3,575 1,728 
			 Capital Markets 27 62 18 85 
		
	
	
		
			 Charity 118 87 34 32 
			 Cheque Casher 7,174 8,849 7,869 6,093 
			 Clearing House 26 10 18 7 
			 Company Formation Agent 73 56 123 70 
			 Consumer Credit 40 178 134 226 
			 Credit Card 22 16 276 2,037 
			 Credit Union 169 221 225 267 
			 Education 3 7 7 9 
			 Electronic Payment 190 212 830 929 
			 Estate Agent 135 129 123 145 
			 Finance Company 2,558 3,530 3,669 4,102 
			 Friendly Society 0 1 10 7 
			 FSA Others 2,051 1,285 1,532 1,141 
			 Gaming 483 512 671 672 
			 Government 1,449 1,156 945 1,824 
			 High Value Dealer 20 36 34 131 
			 Independent Financial Adviser 27 7 4 0 
			 Insurance 1,429 1,655 1,275 1,657 
			 Investment Exchange 1 1 6 1 
			 IT 2 1 5 4 
			 Legal (other) 91 141 166 192 
			 Leisure 51 2 9 6 
			 Licensed Conveyancer 160 301 151 158 
			 Local Authority 67 71 65 65 
			 Manufacturer 5 9 4 9 
			 Money Transmission 8,377 6,760 11,990 15,598 
			 Mortgage Provider 1,371 482 308 224 
			 Motor Organisation 73 101 99 130 
			 Markets and Exchanges 20 38 42 107 
			 Other 1,309 2,490 1,318 1,355 
			 Pension Provider 15 19 26 85 
			 Private Individual 24 33 33 35 
			 Regulator 214 320 305 295 
			 Retail Intermediary 234 241 263 403 
			 Security 28 9 16 13 
			 Solicitor 4,772 4,612 4,255 4,015 
			 Specialist Financial Services 72 57 133 283 
			 Spread Betting 179 171 207 191 
			 Stockbroker 269 192 180 448 
			 Tax Adviser 96 89 96 144 
			 Unknown 183 128 116 134 
			      
			 Total SARs 228,834 240,582 247,601 278,665

Tackling Extremism and Radicalisation Task Force

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress has been made by the Tackling Extremism and Radicalisation Task Force.

James Brokenshire: The Extremism Task Force, established in early June, has met four times. Meetings have focused on the practical steps we can take to deal with all forms of extremism, including:
	disrupting extremist activity;
	challenging extremist narratives;
	tackling radicalisation in institutions such as schools, universities, mosques and prisons; and
	supporting faith and community leadership to build strong, integrated communities.
	The next meeting of the task force is scheduled for 22 October.

Young Offenders

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward legislative proposals to re-define juveniles to include those older than 16 years of age.

Damian Green: holding answer 16 October 2013
	We have consulted, following the High Court judgment in the Hughes Chang case, and made revisions to Code C under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) to comply with the ruling in that case in relation to 17-year-olds and appropriate adults. Some responses to the consultation suggested amending primary legislation associated with juveniles, specifically in sections 38(6) and section 65 of PACE. We will consider all legislation which appears to treat 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system and bring forward legislative proposals as necessary.

HEALTH

Cancer

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to (a) protect the legal rights of cancer carers and (b) improve access to information and advice on cancer care.

Norman Lamb: Carers are central to the Government's proposals for care and support and there are significant improvements in the Care Bill for carers, which encompasses those caring for someone with cancer. This includes plans to simplify the assessment process for adult carers, so that it will include consideration of the impact of caring on the carer, and the outcomes that they wish to achieve. This means that more of them will be able to access an assessment of their needs for support. For the first time, there will be a duty on local authorities to meet carers' eligible needs for support, putting them on an equal footing with the people they support.
	The Government's mandate to NHS England contains a clear objective that carers looking after friends and family members should routinely have access to information and advice about support available, including respite care.
	There is a wide range of information on cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment and support for patients, their families and their carers available on the NHS Choices website at:
	www.nhs.uk
	where patients can also create ‘information prescriptions' for a wide variety of conditions, including cancer.

Dementia

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure identification and treatment of co-morbidities, including chronic pain, in people with dementia.

Norman Lamb: Through the Mandate, the Department has asked NHS England to demonstrate progress towards making the national health service among the best in Europe at supporting people with ongoing health problems to live healthy and independent lives, with better control over the care they receive.
	NHS England has also committed to increasing the dementia diagnosis rate, from the current 46%, to two-thirds by 2015. A diagnosis of dementia is vital for accessing advice, care, support and treatment and this is especially important for people with co-morbid conditions.
	The Department's NHS Outcomes Framework contains the indicators that will be used to hold NHS England to account for making significant progress in supporting the earlier diagnosis of illness, ensuring people have access to the right treatment when they need it and making progress in enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term conditions, such as dementia.
	The Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia has enabled the National Council for Palliative Care (NCPC) to learn from partners about the kind of resources they need in supporting people affected by dementia.
	On 4 December 2012, the NCPC published guidance on managing pain and distress for people with dementia approaching the end of life.
	The National Cancer Experience Survey 2013 contained a range of questions relating to the provision of information and advice about cancer care. The results of the survey were published by NHS England on 30 August 2013. In response to the specific question about the provision of information to help those caring at home, 61% of patients said their family or someone close to them, such as carers, received all the information they needed to help care for them at home, an increase of 1% on the result of the 2011-12 survey.

General Practitioners: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effect of withdrawing the minimum practice income guarantee on small rural GP surgeries.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England is leading on this work and is committed to consider with the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association and other stakeholders how to handle the very small number of significant outlier practices for which different contracting arrangements may need to be considered to ensure appropriate services for their local population.
	If practices believe that they will be penalised as a result of these changes, NHS England would welcome the chance to discuss their concerns.

Jimmy Savile

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any former health or other ministers have been interviewed in the course of the inquiry into Jimmy Savile's involvement in the NHS.

Norman Lamb: This information could prejudice the on-going investigations into the role of Jimmy Savile in relation to the national health service.
	It is vital that the final NHS investigation reports are thorough and complete, and reflect all the evidence about Jimmy Savile's pattern of offending.
	The final reports of all the investigations are expected to be completed by June 2014 or sooner if possible.

Jimmy Savile

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish his evidence that further units of the NHS may have been involved with law breaking by Jimmy Savile.

Norman Lamb: There are currently three main investigations under way—Broadmoor, Stoke Mandeville and Leeds General Infirmary. Kate Lampard is providing independent scrutiny of the quality and rigour of these investigations on behalf of the Department of Health. Investigations are also taking place at a further 10 trusts.
	The Metropolitan Police Service has identified further information regarding Jimmy Savile that relates to the 13 ongoing investigations as well as to other hospitals.
	The Metropolitan Police Service is still reviewing relevant information. It is not yet possible to say what further investigations may need to take place, as we have not yet received all the information.
	We have committed to providing an update, including the names of any other hospitals involved, once we know where any further investigations may need to take place.

Maternity Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much the NHS has spent on maternity services in each year since 2010-11; and what proportion of total NHS spending this represented in each such year;
	(2)  how much was spent on NHS maternity services in each region in each year since 2010-11.

Daniel Poulter: The following table shows the amount spent by primary care trusts (PCTs) on maternity services from 2010-11 to 2012-13 and the proportion of total national health service pending that represents.
	
		
			  Purchase of secondary healthcare: Maternity 
			 Region 2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 
			 England (£000) 2,583,371 2,620,977 2,532,350 
			 Percentage of total NHS spending 2.5 2.6 2.6 
			 Source: Department of Health Annual Report and Accounts. 
		
	
	The following table shows how much was spend on NHS maternity service in each region for 2010-11 to 2012-13.
	
		
			 £000 
			  Purchase of secondary healthcare: Maternity 
			 Region 2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 
			 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority (SHA) 177,390 210,298 206,929 
			 East of England SHA 289,734 279,289 265,409 
		
	
	
		
			 London SHA 493,625 525,838 479,526 
			 North East SHA 107,339 107,848 114,257 
			 North West SHA 345,958 345,079 346,241 
			 South Central SHA 193,269 186,450 179,337 
			 South East Coast SHA 194,988 183,262 167,141 
			 South West SHA 234,386 234,665 233,049 
			 West Midlands SHA 272,892 271,736 277,764 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 273,791 276,512 262,697 
			 Note: For 2012-13 table does not cast due to rounding. Source: Department of Health Annual Report and Accounts and PCT Summarisation Schedules

Medical Records: Databases

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether people will be able to opt-out of the care.data scheme using the internet or telephone;
	(2)  whether every household will receive an opt-out form along with information about care.data.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the care data system will extract the records of people who have received treatment for a sexually-transmitted disease.

Daniel Poulter: General practitioners (GPs), as data controllers, are advised to agree at a local level, the best way to manage the objection process and how their patients might contact the practice should they wish to object or discuss data sharing. This might be for example, via e-mail, letter or phone to GP practice staff.
	It is the role of the NHS England awareness programme to present the facts in a fair and balanced way to enable citizens to make an informed choice or to seek further information or clarification if they wish to through the various communication channels suggested.
	Citizens and patients are being presented with information about how their information is used and shared and the benefits to improve care for all, as well as how to object to this sharing of data if they wish to do so. NHS England makes reference to this in their guidance to GP practices and in their communications to citizens. The computer code to stop information flowing if the patient is not happy is an objection code which will be upheld in all but exceptional circumstances (such as a court order).
	The care.data system will not extract this type of data related to the treatment for a sexually-transmitted disease. This data is legally restricted and is excluded from the care.data collection.

Mental Health Services

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission an analysis of the reasons for the increase in referrals to Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services in the last two years; and if he will ensure that sufficient resources are in place to support those services.

Norman Lamb: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) programme is being rolled out progressively throughout England, with the intention of treating 15% of those who could benefit (around 900,000 people) per year by the end of March 2015. We would therefore expect referrals to increase as more services are available and as general practitioners and people with mental health problems become aware of the existence and effectiveness of treatments available through IAPT services.
	The number of people referred to IAPT services for psychological therapies has consistently grown over the course of the programme. During the last two years, four new services have started to treat patients in Hillingdon, Central Lancashire, West Essex and Luton resulting in increased referrals.
	Over the course of the current spending review, we are investing in excess of £450 million in both adult and children and young people's IAPT to give thousands of people access to National Institute for Health Care Excellence-approved psychological therapies.

Midwives

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the age profile of midwives working for the NHS in England was in each year since 2001.

Daniel Poulter: The national health service annual work force census published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows the age profile of midwives working for the NHS in England as at 30 September each year. The age profile of midwives working in the NHS from 2001 to 2012 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 NHS hospital and community health services: Registered midwives in England by age band as at 30 September each specified year 
			 Full-time equivalent 
			  Under 25 25 to 29 30 to 34 35 to 39 40 to 44 45 to 49 50 to 54 55 to 59 60 to 64 65 and over Unknown All staff 
			 2001 547 1,349 2,270 3,744 3,512 2,610 2,126 1,156 252 5 0 17,571 
			 2002 550 1,325 1,974 3,567 3,668 2,824 2,084 1,283 283 7 0 17,566 
			 2003 660 1,422 1,854 3,316 3,840 2,956 2,129 1,348 313 16 0 17,855 
			 2004 643 1,512 1,738 3,089 3,931 3,195 2,206 1,441 356 25 0 18,137 
			 2005 623 1,741 1,714 2,761 3,907 3,422 2,316 1,415 391 35 0 18,326 
			 2006 536 1,802 1,782 2,445 3,901 3,529 2,463 1,455 435 30 0 18,380 
			 2007 522 1,859 1,874 2,318 3,868 3,706 2,635 1,435 493 40 0 18,751 
			 2008 612 1,940 1,910 2,225 3,654 3,785 2,769 1,453 495 53 0 18,896 
			 2009 687 1,937 2,115 2,205 3,463 3,995 2,972 1,521 526 74 0 19,496 
			 2010 779 1,970 2,284 2,242 3,263 4,136 3,225 1,592 554 79 1 20,126 
			 2011 900 2,064 2,392 2,306 3,011 4,169 3,400 1,639 572 67 0 20,519 
			 2012 1,003 2,198 2,502 2,281 2,860 4,134 3,555 1,757 565 80 0 20,935 
			 Notes: 1. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. 2. These figures exclude bank staff. 3. Data Quality: The Health and Social-Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many smartphone apps his Department has launched.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has not launched any new native mobile applications since 1 April 2013.
	When the new health and care system started on 1 April 2013, parts of the Department moved into new or existing organisations in the system, taking their responsibilities and assets with them. The Department's existing native mobile applications were included in the assets that transferred.
	The following list shows apps that were developed by the Department prior to 1 April 2013 but are now the responsibility of other organisations in the health and care system:
	Public Health England
	Change4Life Fun generator
	Change4Life Drinks tracker
	Change4Life Be Food Smart Meal mixer
	Stoptober.
	Health and Social Care Information Centre
	NHS BMI healthy weight calculator
	NHS Drinks Tracker
	NHS Couch to 5k
	NHS Quit Smoking
	Embedding Informatics in Clinical Education.

NHS: Screening

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many HLA screening tests have been order by NHS trusts for coeliac disorder association in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many HLA*B51 screening tests have been ordered by NHS trusts for Behçet's disease association in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many HLA*B57:01 screening tests have been ordered by NHS trusts for the Abacavir drug sensitivity association for HIV patients in each of the last three years;
	(4)  how many human leukocyte antigen screening tests have been ordered by NHS trusts for narcolepsy association in each of the last three years;
	(5)  how many HLA screening tests were ordered by NHS trusts for ankylosing spondylitis association in each of the last three years.

Norman Lamb: This information is not held centrally.

Palliative Care

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to prohibit the making of payments for each patient implemented on the Liverpool Care Pathway or similar approaches. [R]

Norman Lamb: I wrote to NHS England in July, asking it to work with clinical commissioning groups to put a stop to the use of inappropriate local financial incentives for care for the dying, where such schemes exist. This was in the written ministerial statement given on 15 July 2013, Official Report, columns 62-64WS in response to the publication of the independent review of the Liverpool Care Pathway.
	The Government's intention is for the Liverpool Care Pathway to be phased out over the next six to 12 months in favour of an individual approach to end-of-life care for each patient, with a personalised care plan backed up by a named senior clinician responsible for its implementation. Over the coming months, the Department will be working with partner organisations, stakeholders and charities across health and care to inform a full system-wide response to the review's recommendations in the autumn.

Passive Smoking: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effect of smoking in cars on the health of children; and what step he has considered taking to tackle this.

Jane Ellison: The Government's comprehensive, evidence-based strategy to reduce tobacco use in England was set out in ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England’, published in March 2011. This acknowledges that children are particularly vulnerable to the harms from secondhand smoke and this is supported by evidence in the Royal College of Physicians' 2010 report ‘Passive Smoking and Children' and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health's 2011 inquiry into smoking in private vehicles.
	The Tobacco Control Plan for England states that:
	“rather than extending smokefree legislation, we want people to recognise the risks of secondhand smoke and decide voluntarily to make their homes and family cars smokefree”.
	The Government ran a hard- hitting marketing campaign, on this issue in spring 2012. Independent evaluation of the campaign showed it was successful in changing both attitudes and behaviour. The campaign was updated and repeated in June and July 2013. The effectiveness of this year's campaign is currently being independently evaluated and the Department will review the findings carefully.

Sunbeds

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether his Department plans to review the effectiveness of current regulations governing the use of sunbeds;
	(2)  how many local authorities are currently able to license the use of sunbeds within their area; and if he will assess the scope for increasing the number of such authorities.

Jane Ellison: The Department has no present plans to review the effectiveness of current regulations governing the use of sunbeds.
	The Department does not keep records on the number of local authorities that have licensing schemes and is not proposing to undertake an assessment. Some local authorities have licensing arrangements which include requirements for businesses that operate sunbeds. It will be for local authorities to decide on the scope for licensing requirements.